Cody Gakpo was left without the emotional breakthrough as Morocco staged a comeback from behind to defeat the Netherlands on penalties in Monterrey, putting their World Cup credentials firmly on display and earning a place in the last 16.
Morocco controlled large parts of the match, but they were repeatedly denied by Bart Verbruggen and the woodwork. The game eventually swung when Gakpo—who had announced the death of his unborn son on Saturday—wrote himself into the story by driving home a goal 18 minutes from full time after a sudden, electric break.
With the contest heading towards a Dutch win, Issa Diop struck in stoppage time, powering home a header to level matters and send the tie into extra time. The momentum then carried into the penalty shootout, where the Netherlands missed three spot-kicks. Ismail Saibari stepped up to convert, sealing a 3-2 win for Morocco and setting up a Saturday meeting with Canada in Houston, scheduled for 18:00 BST.
Gakpo, a Liverpool forward, had chosen to remain with the squad despite mourning his loss, and he started for the Netherlands. Ronald Koeman made a notable tactical adjustment by switching to a back five for the first time in 32 matches.
The early exchanges were intense and physical, with frequent duels across the pitch. At one end, Ismail Saibari and Jan Paul van Hecke traded challenges, while at the other, Brian Brobbey and Chadi Riad were involved in their own physical battle. Riad needed a fresh shirt after a confrontation with the Netherlands and Sunderland forward.
Morocco gradually grew more comfortable, and on 20 minutes a near-post corner swung in from Achraf Hakimi—celebrating his 100th cap. Neil El Aynaoui met the delivery with a header, but Verbruggen, playing a key role all night, produced a sharp, point-blank save to keep the Netherlands level. Hakimi then tested him again shortly after with a fierce strike from the edge of the area, though a hydration break briefly disrupted Morocco’s rhythm.
Micky van de Ven came close when he drew a rising effort from distance, only for Yassine Bounou to tip it over. Bounou later faced more pressure from Hakimi, as a free-kick from the right side seemed to slip past Saibari at the far post just before the interval.
In the second half, Hakimi made his presence felt again. He latched onto Azzedine Ounahi’s through ball and hammered a shot off the bar from a tight angle. Van de Ven then stepped up with a crucial last-ditch tackle inside the box after the Morocco captain had shaped to shoot.
As the game tightened, Verbruggen again came to the fore, blocking an inswinging corner from Hakimi right on his near post line. On 71 minutes, Wout Weghorst replaced Brobbey and the Netherlands returned to a back four, but the change did not halt the flow of Morocco’s pressure.
Just 51 seconds later, Weghorst flicked a long ball from Verbruggen into the path of Crysencio Summerville. The winger burst into the box and hooked the ball across for Gakpo, who finished past Bounou and triggered emotional scenes as his team-mates swarmed him.
Morocco pressed on, and it took until the opening moments of added time for their efforts to finally pay off. Diop met a curling cross from Chemsdine Taldi on the left and powered a header past Verbruggen to force the match into extra time. In the final seconds of stoppage time, Noussair Mazraoui made a last-ditch tackle to stop Summerville as he broke through on goal trying to win it for Morocco.
During extra time, Verbruggen continued to be the Netherlands’ standout performer, producing one of the tournament’s finest saves to deny Soufiane Rahimi after the Morocco substitute had worked his way through. Still, neither side could break the deadlock, and the tie was decided from the spot.
Teun Koopmeiners put the Netherlands ahead in the penalty sequence, only for El Aynaoui to send his effort against the crossbar. Justin Kluivert struck the base of the post, and Rahimi’s penalty then slipped through Verbruggen’s grasp to level the shootout at 1-1.
Weghorst then found the top corner, and Talbi responded by going the other way, but Quinten Timber dragged a tame effort well wide. Hakimi’s next attempt did not punish the Netherlands in the way it could have—he smashed into the base of the same upright that had earlier denied Kluivert.
Summerville was denied by a strong hand from Bounou, who moved to his right, and Ismail Saibari took advantage to send Verbruggen the wrong way, find the bottom corner, and break Dutch hearts.
