Morocco secured a place in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after edging the Netherlands 3 2 on penalties following an entertaining 1 1 draw in Monterrey.
The North Africans controlled much of the contest and created several promising chances, but Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen delivered an outstanding performance to keep his side in the game for long periods.
The Netherlands looked set to progress when Cody Gakpo finished off a swift counterattack in the 72nd minute to hand his team the lead. Gakpo had only days earlier revealed that he had lost his unborn son, making the goal an emotional moment.
Morocco refused to give up and found a dramatic equaliser in the opening moments of stoppage time. Issa Diop rose above the defence to head home from a well delivered cross by Chemsdine Taldi, sending the match into extra time.
The Moroccan side continued to dominate after the restart and came close to finding a winner, but Verbruggen produced another brilliant save to deny substitute Soufiane Rahimi. With neither team able to score again, the contest was decided from the penalty spot.
The shootout produced several twists before missed penalties by Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber and Crysencio Summerville handed Morocco the advantage. Ismail Saibari confidently converted the winning kick to seal qualification, setting up a Round of 16 meeting with Canada in Houston.
In another dramatic fixture, Germany’s difficult run at recent World Cups continued as the four time champions were eliminated after suffering a 4 3 penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay following a 1 1 draw after extra time.
Paraguay took the lead just before the break through Julio Enciso, whose well placed header stunned the German side. Germany responded in the second half when Kai Havertz nodded home a cross from Florian Wirtz to level the score.
Germany thought they had completed the turnaround during extra time after Jonathan Tah found the back of the net. However, the goal was ruled out after Waldemar Anton was penalised for a foul on Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill.
The penalty shootout brought more disappointment for the Germans. Gill denied spot kicks from Havertz and Nick Woltemade, although Paraguay also missed opportunities after Antonio Sanabria fired wide and Fabián Balbuena saw his effort saved by veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
The decisive moment came during sudden death when Tah sent his penalty over the crossbar. José Canale then calmly converted the next kick to send Paraguay into the Round of 16, sparking jubilant celebrations among the players and supporters.
The latest exit continues Germany’s disappointing World Cup record since winning the title in 2014, with the former champions once again falling short of expectations on football’s biggest stage.
Paraguay, who entered the tournament ranked 41st in the world, will now face either France or Sweden in the Round of 16 in Philadelphia.
