Canada became the first co-host to exit the 2026 World Cup after being soundly beaten 3-0 by Morocco in Houston.
Despite a dominant opening from the North Americans, the Atlas Lions booked their place in the quarter-finals thanks to a second-half masterclass from Azzedine Ounahi. The midfielder broke the deadlock five minutes after the interval, sweeping home Achraf Hakimi’s clever cut-back from a free-kick.
He then doubled the advantage with eight minutes remaining by finishing off a lethal counter-attack. Soufiane Rahimi put the gloss on an ultimately comfortable victory in stoppage time, sliding a composed finish under goalkeeper Maxime Crรฉpeau with the final touch of the match.
Early Canadian Dominance Fails to Pay Off
The heavy defeat was incredibly cruel on Jesse Marschโs side, who completely dominated the first half in Texas. Canada pressed relentlessly from the whistle, with both Jonathan David and Tani Oluwaseyi denied in one-on-one situations by Morocco goalkeeper Bono within the opening 11 minutes. “There was one team on the pitch,” Marsch remarked regarding his side’s stellar start. “We were better than the number seven team in the world today.”
However, Canada lacked the clinical edge to break down one of the tournament’s staunchest defences. Juventus striker David endured a quiet conclusion to a below-par campaign, while captain and talisman Alphonso Davies remained an unused substitute on the bench. The Bayern Munich winger has struggled with a hamstring injury, and Marsch opted to take a cautious approach to avoid risking long-term damage.
Morocco Keep Historic Target in Sight
Morocco entered the clash as unfamiliar favourites, having previously eliminated the Netherlands in the last 32. A lack of rhythm and 24 hours less recovery time than Canada led to a bad-tempered first half, with English referee Michael Oliver brandishing eight yellow cards. The tension boiled over just before the interval when Hakimi received a booking for shoving defender Richie Laryea.
Despite the early frustration, Walid Regragui’s side withstood the onslaught, limiting Canada to just a single shot on target after the 11th minute. Rahimi even came close to adding another when his looping header struck the crossbar before his eventual late goal.
The result brings an end to Canada’s most successful men’s World Cup campaign in historyโa tournament where they secured their first point, win, group-stage progression, and knockout victory. Morocco move forward to Boston, where they will face either France or Paraguay in the quarter-finals on Thursday, 9 July, sitting just one win away from matching their historic semi-final run from 2022.
Read more –ย The Children of the Crossing: How Morocco Became Footballโs Most Compelling Story
Also see –ย Cape Verde exit World Cup as heroes after Argentina epic
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