Morocco defeated co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the World Cup round of 16 on Saturday in Houston. The victory ended the record run of the co-hosts and sent Morocco to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive tournament.
Azzedine Ounahi led the way with a second-half brace, and Soufiane Rahimi scored a third goal to secure the win. Coach Mohamed Ouahbi stated that a change in system thrust Ounahi into a new role higher up the pitch, leading to his two goals.
While Canada boss Jesse Marsch may have felt his side were the better team, Morocco overcame a sticky start to win the match. The result sets up a future date with France.
With this victory, Morocco becomes the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals more than once. This follows their previous achievement of becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals in 2022.