Morocco beats Canada and advances to the round of 16 first

Morocco managed a historic classification to the round of 16 of the World Cup, passing in first place in the group that had Croatia and Belgium, the favorites. The 2-1 victory against Canada was born in the first 45 minutes, with goals from Ziyech and En-Nesiry, while the second half was a great defensive effort to secure the result.

Victory that almost escaped in the 26th minute of the second half, in a strong header by Hutchinson. The ball hit the crossbar and over the line — it was the technology that did not validate the goal, despite complaints from the players in Canada.

The match also had the first own goal of the World Cup, scored by Moroccan defender Aguerd, in favor of the Canadians.

The fans of Morocco celebrated a lot at the Al Thumama stadium, raising their cell phone flashlights to have a beautiful party in the final stretch. The team already has the offensive force built by Ziyech, En-Nesiry and Hakimi, who had a good match. Goalkeeper Bounou, who fell ill against Belgium, also returned to the pitch.

Ziyech opened the scoring in a mistake by goalkeeper Borjan, who tried to move the ball away and left it at the attacker’s foot. He tapped lightly, just covering it up, 4 minutes into the first half. En-Nesiry scored the second in the 23rd minute, after a good pass from Hakimi. The Canadian goal, in the 38th minute, came in a deflection by Aguerd into his own net.

The second stage revealed that Canada could have yielded more in this World Cup, especially due to the pressure imposed on the Moroccans, but the team leaves the tournament without adding points and with two goals scored.

The Moroccans finish the first phase with seven points, with two wins and a draw. Croatia came in second with five, while Belgium, who experienced friction in their squad, were eliminated with three.