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In the current meeting of two sides blessed with golden generations of talent, it is the Moroccans who shine.
An injured Alphonso Davies was on the bench for Canada, while Morocco’s star striker Jonathan David was sent off after Stephen Eustaquio’s dangerous pass.
Meanwhile, Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi was a constant threat both on the ball and in front of Canada’s players, while creative playmaker Brahim Diaz provided two assists. He now has four at the World Cup – more than any African player.
“The first half was very strong,” Morocco manager Mohamed Uhabi told a media conference after the match.
“There were a few adjustments that had to be made during the break. We were never free from pressure.
The main thing is that we didn’t change who we are, we didn’t change our philosophy of the game. There were a lot of ideas being thrown around and we took the best of them.
“We are playing the World Cup, which means there will be difficult times. The important thing is that if we are not at our best, we have to be strong. We have to remember who we are playing for and where we are playing.”
It was more than enough for Morocco to advance to the quarter-finals of the Men’s World Cup for the second time in a row, as they did in Qatar in five matches.
Morocco has now won four World Cup knockout games – two in 2022, two in 2026 – more than any other African nation combined.
One more win, and they will officially match their showing at the 2022 World Cup, where they became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals.
Therefore, Morocco are competitors, although there are feelings that have not yet been tested to their full potential.
Scotland and Haiti had already produced a 4-2 win over Scotland and Haiti in their opening game against Brazil – the former scoring within two minutes, the latter with a free-wheeler in a 4-2 victory.
They were the better side against the Netherlands in the round of 32 but needed a nod at the break to avoid elimination. Then they were comfortable in the end against Canada, but there was no high-quality victory to calm the doubters before a possible meeting with France in the last eight.
