Morocco Ends the Netherlands’ World Cup Campaign With Penalty Kicks

The second match of the World Cup’s round of 32 was pushed beyond the full 90 minutes and 30 minutes of extra time to be decided over penalty kicks. This time, Morocco emerged victorious over the Netherlands in Monterrey on June 29.

Tied 1-1, Morocco ultimately won the penalty shootout 3-2.

The two top-10-ranked teams faced off in a fast-paced, bloody battle. Dutch defenseman Jan Paul Van Hecke took the sharp end of a cleat to the head midway through the first half. His blond hair was dyed red from the blood pouring out.

Later in the game, in an unrelated incident, Morocco midfielder Ismael Saibari also received a cut to the face and had to replace his jersey.

Neither player left the game after being injured.

The match’s physicality in general was on display as both teams recorded more than 20 tackles, 104 duels for ball control, 33 total fouls, and one yellow card for Morocco.

Goalkeepers Bart Verbruggen and Yassine Bounou kept their nets clear well through the first half and into the second. The Dutch’s first goal came in the 72nd minute. Crysencio Summerville charged the ball down the field towards the goal, but two Morocco defenders took him down. As he fell, he passed the ball off to Cody Gakpo, who finished the job. Gakpo’s goal came within days of his announcement that his partner had a miscarriage and lost their unborn son, Elijah.

For the remainder of the second half, it looked like a Dutch victory, but a driving header from Issa Diop one minute into the stoppage time past the 90-minute mark gave Morocco the equalizer they needed to stay alive.

Six total minutes of stoppage time and two 15-minute halves of extra time were not enough to expose an outright winner. So, a penalty-kick contest was needed.

Bounou ended up needing to only make one save as the Netherlands’ Justin Kluivert and Quinten Timber missed the net. Despite making five saves throughout the game, including two big ones in the span of three minutes, Verbruggen let the three penalty kicks past him. That includes one that he initially saved, but accidentally kicked behind the goal line.

The Oranje go home empty-handed once again, now looking to 2030 for what potentially could be their first-ever World Cup victory. Morocco stays alive and gets set to play Canada in the round of 16. That game will be held on the Fourth of July in Houston.