Netherlands vs. Morocco: The Atlas Lions look nothing like 2022 — except the magic that makes them so dangerous

Morocco are done to the past 16 of the 2026 World Cup aft beating the Netherlands connected penalties pursuing a 1-1 gully connected Monday evening. The mode of the triumph was some strikingly antithetic from and eerily akin to their singular tally 4 years ago.

As successful 2022 against Spain, the grounds books volition amusement that Morocco precocious done a punishment shootout against a federation with whom they stock heavy taste ties. Yet successful the 4 years since Qatar, the Atlas Lions person undergone a extremist transformation.

In 2022, nether Walid Regragui, Morocco built their fairy communicative connected antiaircraft resilience and accelerated transitions. This time, Mohamed Ouahbi's broadside overcame different top-10-ranked federation by imposing their ain game, epitomised by a azygous transition of possession successful the 2nd fractional that lasted 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

Seventy per cent possession arsenic Morocco dictate the contest

With 70 per cent of the ball, 5 large chances to the Netherlands' 1 and 191 passes successful the last 3rd compared to 92 from their opponents, Morocco were intelligibly the ascendant force. Ronald Koeman was truthful wary of their menace that helium reinforced his backmost enactment with a 5th defender, sacrificing Tijjani Reijnders successful midfield.

Were it not for Bart Verbruggen, who produced 3 decisive saves — archetypal from El Aynaoui's header and Hakimi's onslaught successful the archetypal half, past a singular point-blank halt with his limb to contradict Rahimi successful other clip — Morocco would person been up connected the scoreboard agelong earlier the shootout.

Instead, the Atlas Lions recovered themselves chasing the crippled aft conceding a extremity their 2022 incarnation would person been arrogant of: a Verbruggen clearance flicked connected by Weghorst and worked to Gakpo via Summerville. A extremity successful 3 passes, the precise embodiment of nonstop shot that is nary longer their identity.

Bounou the leader erstwhile much — and the aforesaid unbridled joy

That displacement successful doctrine — a imagination of grandeur, immoderate mightiness telephone it — appeared acceptable to outgo Morocco dearly arsenic they headed into stoppage clip trailing and staring astatine elimination. But this radical possesses the intelligence fortitude that defined the people of 2022, making them its existent successors.

Fittingly, it was a substitute, Chemsdine Talbi, who delivered the transverse for Issa Diop to caput location the equaliser. Diop had faced disapproval upon his accomplishment successful March for choosing to correspond Morocco astatine the property of 29, conscionable months earlier the World Cup.

From there, contempt Rahimi being denied successful other clip and El Aynaoui missing the opening penalty, Morocco refused to buckle. The intelligence resilience connected show was remarkable, though the melodramatic comeback against Haiti successful the radical stage, wherever they doubly fell down earlier winning 4-2, had offered an aboriginal denotation of what this squad are susceptible of.

'I consciousness arsenic though we had prepared ourselves for this,' Ouahbi told beIN Sports. 'We saw the results of the aboriginal matches and we knew these are games decided by the finest of margins — the archetypal 2 against Canada and Brazil successful the last minute, the 3rd against Paraguay connected penalties. We knew the Netherlands had a inclination to spell to other time. It is an unthinkable outcome. I deliberation it is afloat deserved. We wholly dominated this team. I bash not deliberation they are often restricted to 30 per cent possession.'

What followed belonged to axenic emotion: a decisive prevention from Bounou, mirroring 2022, and scenes of joyousness arsenic players celebrated with their families, with Ismael Saibari moving into the stands to clasp his mother.

With Canada awaiting successful the past 16 connected Saturday and a imaginable quarter-final rematch against France connected the horizon, the parallels with 2022 whitethorn lone conscionable beryllium getting started.