Morocco defeated co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the World Cup round of 16 on Saturday in Houston. The victory ended Canada's record run and sent the North Africans into the quarterfinals for the second consecutive tournament.
Azzedine Ounahi led the charge with a second-half brace, while Soufiane Rahimi added a third goal to secure the win. Coach Mohamed Ouahbi noted that a change in system thrust Ounahi into a new role higher up the pitch, leading to his two goals.
With this win, Morocco becomes the first African nation to reach the World Cup quarterfinals more than once. This follows their previous achievement of becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals in 2022.
Despite the outcome, Canada boss Jesse Marsch may have felt his side were the better team on Saturday, but the 3-0 result told a different story.