Nick Ames has the match report from a wild night in Monterrey. And with that, I sign off from the US. Thanks for your correspondence and following along for a World Cup thriller!
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And from Emma, in Rabat, where it’s 5.13am:
“Nothing like being woken up by the horns and shouts of a thrilled Morocco. I live in Rabat, and I knew at once what had happened when everyone started honking … It’s going to be a slow day in the offices today ...”
Zlatan won’t be the only one criticising Ronald Koeman tonight. From Burt: “Can’t understand Koeman’s tactics and substitutions. Why change a system that’s been working well for two years? And why leave proven goal scorers like Dupay and Marlon on the bench, especially with penalties looking likely?”
On the other end, Mohamed Ouahbi will earn some praise for trusting his young players: with Morocco down 0-1, he sent on three under-21 players. Did he envision what would come next? I’d like to know.
• This post was amended on 30 June 2026. An earlier photo caption said it was Morocco’s coach Mohamed Ouahbi being lifted by his players; in fact, it was the Moroccan football president Fouzi Lekjaa.
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That match caps an action-packed day at the World Cup. All three games went past 90 minutes. Two went to penalties. And two European powers were sent home packing.
An emotion-filled night for both sides, from the Gakpo goal to the Diop equaliser to the ripped shirts and bloodied faces and everything in between.
Morocco will face Canada in Houston on 4 July in the last 16.
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Brad, an Evertonian, writes in to say that “... any result that eliminates Ronald Koeman and Virgil Van Dijk at the same time is a wonderful result”.
I’m sure he’d find some common sentiments among the Mexico fans in the Monterrey crowd, who may be feeling some kind of karmic justice for a match on this day 12 years ago involving a controversial penalty.
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What a wild match, and what a wild penalty shootout to end it. Five misses, one punch-out, one save kicked back over the line.
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From Michael: “Justin Kluivert, brought on to take a penalty, who almost never misses penalties, misses a penalty because: the World Cup.”
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From Sam: “What an exciting yet objectively poor shootout. Four professional footballers (Hakimi, Timber, Kluivert, El Aynaoui) didn’t even hit the target from such close range, never mind the ones that were saved. It’s not that hard to at least get it on target! Hope England are practicing!”
On the US broadcast, Zlatan continued to voice his displeasure in the Dutch approach to this match and in Ronald Koeman specifically. He’s “angry” at how they betrayed their Dutch identity.
Who else but Ismael Saibari to deliver Morocco into the last 16? His goalscoring carried the Atlas Lions through the group stage, and his chances nearly gave them a victory at multiple points in this game. Remarkable scenes from the travelling Morocco support in Monterrey.
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MOROCCO BEAT THE NETHERLANDS ON PENALTIES!
Netherlands 1-1 Morocco (2-3 pens) Ismael Saibari’s penalty wins it! A remarkable finish to a classic in Monterrey.
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Saibari scores! Netherlands 2-3 Morocco
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Bounou saves it! Netherlands 2-2 Morocco
Summerville’s shot is stopped with Bounou’s left hand.
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My word. What a shootout this is.
Hakimi hits the post! Netherlands 2-2 Morocco
Timber misses wide! Netherlands 2-2 Morocco
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Talbi scores! Netherlands 2-2 Morocco
Weghorst scores! Netherlands 2-1 Morocco
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Rahimi’s penalty goes in! Netherlands 1-1 Morocco
Verbruggen had his hands on it, but the ball slips out of his hand and his back heel knocks it over the line
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Kluivert hits the post! Netherlands 1-0 Morocco
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El Aynaoui hits the bar! Netherlands 1-0 Morocco
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Koopmeiners scores! Netherlands 1-0 Morocco
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Netherlands will take the first penalty
Chris writes in, seemingly agreeing with Zlatan’s take on Koeman’s extra-time approach: “I’m disappointed that in the extra period the Netherlands never tried to do anything with the ball on the few occasions they won it back. They seemed content to take a soft foul, milk the clock, and lump the set piece forward. This was quite literally their only tactic. With their squad I wish they’d have tried to play a bit more.”
How do we feel heading into this shootout? I lean with Matan – he says a coin toss – but if Verbruggen can channel, well, the spirit of himself in the 97th minute and save some of these Morocco penalties, then maybe he can keep the Dutch in this tournament.
Michael follows back up: “The fact that it’s gone to penalties: now *that’s* a travesty …”
On the US broadcast, Zlatan is not holding back his disdain for the Dutch approach to this game. “I don’t like it at all,” he says.
“They’re not playing with their identity.” He compares Koeman to an “Italian coach, playing not to lose”.
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Full time: Netherlands 1-1 Morocco
The Dutch make one final break, but the whistle blows to send us to the second penalty shootout of this World Cup matchday.
120 + 1 min Oh man! More blood. Saibari has a cut on his eye and a very bloody shirt. Van Henke’s bloody head feels like it was 10 years ago at this point.
120 + 1 min One added minute before we head to a shootout.
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120 min The Dutch are recycling possession as we near the whistle for the end of extra time.
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119 min Stephen writes: “Here to tell the youngs that the 1982 World Cup (24 teams) featured a second group stage – group winners and runners up competed in groups of 3 to decide semi finalists (Italy v Brazil being the brutal classic of the round). Far superior to 3rd place teams hanging around waiting on results and one of these reams (and Germany) going home so soon.”
118 min A penalty shootout seems to be in sight. From Arun: “Morocco deserve to go through. They have been the better team on balance so far. Totally dominating extra time. Only one team wants to win this one. Just my opinion of course.”
117 min Summerville has reentered.
116 min Play stopped briefly with Summerville down after a hard tackle with Mazraoui, but they’ve resumed. Dutch playing with 10 while he receives treatment.
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114 min Heavy, heavy legs as we near the 115-minute mark. The Dutch had some possession, but as in the first half of extra time, it’s mainly been Morocco in control.
113 min Gakpo will watch the end of this one from the bench. Kluivert is on to replace him.
113 min From Michael: “For the neutral observer, this match between the Netherlands and Morocco may be very entertaining, but for me, as a Dutch person, it’s a confirmation that our coach Koeman is holding this team back. He seems to have instructed the team to lean back after the opening goal, and it’s gone to bite us in the behind.
Morocco is the dominant party without a doubt, but I do believe this Netherlands team can do better if given the proper instructions. “
112 min From Natty: “Cheers from Los Angeles! We have been charmed by the Telemundo announcers shouting ‘PANQUEQUE’ every time the Dutch touch the ball, lovely bit of intercultural culinary heckling. Took until extra time to realize they are just shouting ‘VAN HEKKE’ with extra enthusiasm …”
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110 min De Jong’s night has ended. De Roon is on to replace him.
108 min Whichever backline advances from this game will need to be put in a cryo chamber to recover before they play Canada in five (!!) days’ time.
107 min De Jong is signaling to the Dutch bench, grimacing and holding his right leg, per the US broadcast. The Netherlands have two changes left.
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106 min The second half of extra time is under way. Michael writes in: “It’s not a travesty at all that this is a round of 32 match. We’re finally seeing high stakes matches between good teams. It’s about time!”
Fair point! It’s exciting to get this kind of matchup this early in the tournament. But feels equally frustrating that one of these sides will go home this early. I’m sure the result will fuel plenty of post-match discussion!
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Emails:
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“Morocco seem to be taking a lot less risks with their passing in extra time. If their mentality is such that they are more afraid to lose than want to win, that does not bode well for possible penalties.” Thomas
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“For a long time I was hoping Morocco would win, as thought they may offer Canada a slightly easier chance. But now, to my surprise, I think Netherlands may be the easier draw.” Peter
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“Surely this is the game of the tournament so far?” Matan
Half-time in extra time: Netherlands 1-1 Morocco
Verbruggen’s remarkable hand/leg save was the highlight of the first half of extra time. If the Netherlands survive this game, it should be one of the saves of the tournament. "
Thierry Henry on the US broadcast says Morocco is trying to win it and the Dutch are trying not to lose it. Hard to disagree after the 15 minutes. Does that change in the next 15?
105 min Morocco are continuing to circle the ball around their back line, looking for an opening but not forcing one. Saibari sends a curling slipped ball toward the center of the ball, but there’s no one waiting in the box.
103 min Says Harry: “The runaway best game of the R32 so far. May extra time bring more of the same.”
102 min Weghorst breaks up a lengthy spell of Morocco possession, but he’s quickly stopped for what seems to have been a handball.
101 min Writes in Jacob from Australia: “It’s a travesty that this is a round of 32 game.” I agree.
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99 min Morocco are circling the ball around, but not threatening into the attacking third as we near the 100-minute mark.
97 min I’m sorry to bring up “last-Dutch defending” again, but the Netherlands have had some incredible moments stopping what very much should have been Morocco goals. That Verbruggen save, the four stopped corners, the Van der Ven tackle.
97 min Massive save by Verbruggen! Rahimi slides through the Dutch defence and has a perfect angle for the go-ahead goal, but Verbruggen gets a hand and a thigh on it. That’s his fifth save of the game.
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94 min The sides have exchanged fouls and free kicks to start the 30 minutes. Both trying to methodically work the ball through the midfield.
91 min We are under way for extra time.
There have been 25 goals at this World Cup after the 90th minute. Remarkable stuff.
Chicarito was right: this does have the feel of something bigger than a last-32 game. Hard to believe one of these sides have to go home after this.
Full-time: Netherlands 1-1 Morocco
Four knockout games, four games decided after 90 minutes. Welcome, World Cup After Dark!
90 + 8 min The final chance of regulation: Dumfries’s throw-in is deep and headed right back out, and the referee whistles for extra time.
90 + 6 min The Dutch go on the break, led by Summerville, but Mazraoui slides in before he can get a shot off.
90 + 4 min The Dutch win a free kick that finds the head of Van Dijk, but he can’t steer it toward the goal.
90 + 3 min The Morocco fans are going wild in Monterrey. Both sides are pushing for the go-ahead as stoppage-time winds down. What is it about stoppage time at this tournament?!
It looked like Morocco were finished. And then Diop kept their World Cup hopes alive. Talbi sends a last-ditch long ball into the box and Diop gets his head, mid-turn, on the ball to push it into the back of the net. It’s his first international goal and it means this game is right back on. Wow!
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GOAL (Netherlands 1-1 Morocco Diop 90+1)
Issa Diop has an equaliser!
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89 min Morocco make another push, but Saibari goes down holding his face after a pull from behind by Timber. The referee doesn’t stop play.
88 min The Dutch attack – chiefly Gakpo – has looked so much more engaged and involved since Koeman’s first substitutions.
86 min Changes for both sides: Rahimi and Talbi on, El Khannouss and Ounahi off for Morocco. Timber and Hato on, Gravenberch and Van der Ven off for the Netherlands.
85 min More incredible Dutch defending in the final stretch here. Van Dijk makes a 30-yard sprint to stop Saibari with a crunching clean tackle before the Morocco forward can even make his way into the box.
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82 min Daniel points out: “Yeah, Weghorst was the hero of the 2022 World Cup for some glorious 15 minutes ... until Messi quémirábobo’d him.” True!
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82 min Morocco thread a ball through to an open Yassine, but the pass is too far for him to catch up to it.
80 min Play is stopped for a head injury check to Gravenberch. Good opportunity to rewatch Gakpo’s goal: his timing of the run is really excellent, as was his anticipation to catch Bounou off his line.
79 min More changes for Morocco: Brahim and Bouaddi are off, El Mourabet and Yassine (a goalscorer against Haiti) on.
76 min Riad is off for Morocco and Salah Eddine is on.
76 min Morocco win a corner, but Van Dijk heads it away.
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76 min Was this Koeman’s gameplan the entire time: conservative for 70-ish minutes, then bring on the mighty Wout Weghorst – reminder, a hero at the 2022 World Cup – to change the dynamic? Whatever the plan, it’s worked.
Gakpo and his partner recently announced that they lost their unborn son, and he decided to stay at the tournament. Here’s what Ronald Koeman said before this match:
“Of course in the first few days he had the freedom to go out and be with the family. There was never a moment when he said ‘I want to go back [home]’. That’s the way he approached it. He’s ready to play and I don’t think it will be a heavy weight on his performance. He deals with things in his own way. It’s very powerful, beautiful, and we’ve left it there.”
His goal was a powerful moment, and the emotion was clear as his teammates ran out to celebrate with him.
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An incredible sequence right out of the hydration break and the substitutions as the entire Dutch team run off the bench to surround Gakpo after that goal. Weghorst’s header reached Summerville, who somehow managed to lay the pass off while falling between defenders and found Gakpo in the right place at the right time.
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GOAL! (Netherlands 1-0 Morocco Gakpo 72')
Cody Gakpo gives the Dutch the lead!
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71 min Dutch changes: Brobbey and Ake off, Weghorst and Koopmeiners on.
69 min Country Roads is playing at Estadio Monterrey. Hakimi is getting what appears to be a blister on his foot taped. Riad is on his fourth (!) jersey of the game. Thoughts, once again, to the equipment managers.
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68 min Hydration break time again. The US broadcast notes that Morocco have had 79% (!) of possession this half.
66 min The Dutch still have just the lone shot on target, by Van de Ven in the 48th minute. Reminder: they were one of just three teams to score 10 goals in the group stage. One is still alive (France); another is already on the plane home (Germany).
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64 min The defensive efforts from both sides have been quite impressive through the first 20 minutes of this half.
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63 min Hakimi tries to score on a corner, but it’s stopped by Verbruggen again at the near post. On the second attempt, Dumfries knocks it out in the same spot. On the third attempt, it’s tapped out by De Jong. On the fourth attempt, it’s long and too far. Some nice last-Dutch defending there.
58 min Nathan Aké joins the party with a clearing header before Verbruggen is called into action again for a save. On the other end, Gakpo makes another run into the box before laying it off to Gravenberch, whose shot is blocked. Gakpo has looked more involved this half.
57 min I am still thinking about that Van de Ven tackle.
56 min What a tackle! Van de Ven makes a remarkable run to stop Hakimi on the breakaway and stop what surely could have been a chance on goal.
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52 min Hakimi picked up a pass from Ounahi in open space but took a touch too many and fired a shot off Verbuggen’s outstretched hand. It looked like it clipped the bar, too. Through the first five or so minutes of the second half, Morocco have had the energy and momentum.
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51 min From our US soccer editor Alex Abnos on BlueSky: “Every World Cup we remember that the Netherlands produced guys like Johan Cruyff but forget they also produced guys like Mark Van Bommel.”
49 min Bouaddi gets his first shot of the night from the top of the box. His shot goes high and wide, but it’s a promising early push from the Atlas Lions.
48 min Summerville takes the free kick. Van de Ven flicks it with his head toward goal, but Bounou handles.
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47 min Right out of the gate! Yellow card to Diop for a shove and trip to the back of Broddey.
46 min Second half is under way.
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No half-time substitutions for either side.
As Richard McGahey notes, this referee issued three (!) red cards in the Mexico v South Africa opener. Let’s see how long he waits in this second half to give a yellow – if he does at all.
From Thomas, earlier:
“Someone mentioned the ‘Battle of Nuremberg’. I still think it’s one of the all time classic games of all time and still reread that MBM when I am bored sometimes. It’s so innocent in the beginning and ramps up from minute 50 or so when the action kicks off (literally). It’s like the writer cannot believe his own eyes after a while.”
Half-time emails:
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“Brobbey being kicked every time the ball is near him, and just as often when it isn’t. Seems to be Morocco’s tactic.” Burt
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“Is it just me, or is the Dutch formation turning this game into 10 v 11? Because van de Ven doesn’t seem to be making any contribution at all? No criticism of Mickey here – he’s a fine player – but it just seems like the Netherlands are short a midfielder.” Mac
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“ ‘Summerville gets the ball in the box from Dumfries’ Good pass though to be so accurate with a kick all the way from Dumfries. Must be a tailwind.” Richard, Dumfries United fan, in Dumfries.
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“That was great fun, in part because they are two very good teams and in large part because the referee let everything go. Rough and entertaining.” Robin
Half-time statistics:
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Netherlands 0.06 xG – 0.20 xG Morocco
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Possession: 50% – 50%
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Shots on goal: 1-2
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Accurate passes: 184-195
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Duels won: 13-18
Who was your player of the half? I’ll spotlight either of the Morocco full-backs: Hakimi may be an obvious pick, but Mazroui has also done a solid job keeping the Dutch wingers under wraps. Summerville and Gakpo have combined for just two touches in the opposition box.
Half-time: Netherlands 0-0 Morocco
A patient first five minutes turned into a fiesty next 40 in Morocco. The Atlas Lions had the better chances before and after the hydration break, and they’ll be rueing Saibari’s miss of the ball on Hakimi’s free kick in stoppage time.
Eleven fouls, one bloodied Dutch defender and a partridge in a pear tree through the first half, but no yellow cards from referee Wilton Sampaio yet. To the half-time break we go!
45 + 6 min The Dutch ever nearly get one of their own on the final play of the half, but the whistle blows.
45 + 5 min Hakimi’s free kick very nearly finds Saibari, but the ball gets is level with his hip instead of his foot and goes wide as Saibari goes flying into the back of the net.
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45 + 5 min Hakimi is slow to get up running in to Van De Ven. I, for one, am surprised we are still without a yellow.
45 + 3 min Hectic sequence. Soon after Saibari was left waiting wide open for a ball that went long, Van Hecke puts in a crunching tackle to stop El Aynaoui’s run.
45 + 2 min I’m impressed that Van Hecke is still out there after how bloodied he got taking that cleat to the head. Nonzero chance he comes out for the second half with the Daniëlle-van-de-Donk-at-the-2023-World-Cup swim cap special.
45 min + 1 Six minutes of stoppage time.
45 min The Dutch get their fourth corner of the night, but Brobbey is whistled for a foul for contact with the goalkeeper as the ball comes in. Look familiar, any Germany v Paraguay viewers?
44 min Van de Ven launches a strike from distance that nearly put the Netherlands ahead, but Bounou gets one hand on it to push it above the crossbar and keep the scoreline even.
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42 min Van Hecke is back on the field for the Dutch.
40 min Pause in play to as a very bloodied Van Hecke receives medical treatment. He’s taken several hits tonight. He jogs off the field and the Dutch will play with 10 for now.
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37 min The Dutch win their second corner. Dumfries gets a head on Summerville’s ball in, but it skies out for another corner. On the second attempt, Van Hecke goes for the header and catches an accidental Morocco cleat on the way down. It seems to have produced a gnarly-seeming cut with a gnarly amount of blood.
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36 min A very quick pause for a video check to see what would have been a very soft handball call on Bouaddi. Check complete, no call, play resumes.
35 min Summerville gets the ball in the box from Dumfries, but gets caught in a scramble before he can get a shot off.
33 min Maybe it’s the whistles in the crowd, maybe it’s the whistles on the field (eight fouls now!), but I tend to agree with Tracy that it feels we could see someone sent off in this game. We’ll see how her prediction shapes out.
31 min Saibari makes an enticing move into the box after receiving a cross-field long ball, but he runs straight into Summerville.
31 min From our Jeff Rueter on BlueSky: “Hate that I’m sitting here with thoughts like ‘such a bailout that the Netherlands made it to the hydration break’ and ‘Morocco really must be kicking themselves for not scoring before the drinks.’” The 2026 World Cup!
28 min Ounahi stats a sequence with a beautiful nutmeg of Dumfries to reach El Khannouss, who sends a lovely cross in, but there’s no one there to get a touch on it.
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27 min Van Hecke goes down after taking an elbow to the chin in a late mid-air challenge from Ounahi. No card, it appears, however much the Dutch wanted one.
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25 min A key part of the Dutch wins in the group stage was midfielder Frenkie de Jong. Our Barney Ronay called him “a footballer who always seems to be played inside his own demilitarised zone”. They’ll want to see him more involved for the rest of this half beyond the 16 touches he has now.
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Some emails during the break:
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“I’d bet real American dollars that we see at least one red card tonight. Both teams are excessively zesty so far.” Tracy
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“If Riad runs out of kit, do they switch him into a spray-on jersey?” Sandgk
23 min Hydration break! And the Netherlands will be happy it came when it did. Verbuggen was forced into action for two big saves in the span of a few minutes as Morocco challenged in the box.
21 min Active few minutes for Morocco. They followed the Verbuggen save with a shot that skied high. Seconds later, Hakimi got another chance from the top of the box that forced Verbuggen into another stop.
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20 min Morocco win their first corner of the game and Hakimi takes it. Verbuggen makes a strong save on an El Aynaoui header.
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17 min The US broadcast reports that Morocco’s Chadi Riad is on his third (third!) jersey of the game because it has been ripped so many times. Thoughts to the Morocco equipment managers.
16 min The Dutch had their first threatening chance waved offside. Summerville got a long ball down the side and took it into the box before trying to lay it off for Brobbey, but a Moroccan defender got a foot on it first and skied it high.
15 min This feels a bit like Morocco’s opening stretch against Brazil in the way they’ve been allowed to attack on the right side.
13 min Lots of whistles so far. Brobbey went down after vying for a ball with Diop but hopped back up. Pretty split possession-wise through the opening 13 minutes.
11 min Saibari gets the ball in the box for Morocco’s first threatening chance of the night, but pulls down Dumfries on his run and gets whistled for a foul.
8 min Plenty of crunching tackles early. Van Hecke and Saibari are sparring after both went for a header.
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6 min Even with an extra defender to go against, Hakimi is still dangerous on the right wing. He overhit the cross, but still got behind the Dutch back line on a run.
5 min Patient start to this one from both sides. For Morocco, it’s much different from the frenetic pace with which their group-stage finale against Haiti began a few days ago.
3 min The Netherlands’ first corner is headed out by the Moroccan back line.
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2 min Van de Ven is positioned as a left-wing-back in this Dutch back five. Not much forward movement through the first 120 seconds.
1 min We have begun.
Kick-off!
They’re under way on what looks to be a beautiful night in Monterrey. Winner gets Canada in the last 16.
From Justin Kavanagh: “Koeman playing five at the back is a bit worrisome. On occasions like this, where the Dutch has faced dangerously attacking teams, they have a tendency to revert to skullduggery. Think of the 2010 Final against Spain, the 1978 Final v Argentina and, of course, the bloody Battle of Nuremberg against Portugal that ended with, if I remember correctly, two and a half players left on each side at full-time. And then the five of them went to the dressing room to kick lumps out of each other. Of course, it takes two to tango, and I’m sure Morocco can mix it with the best of them. Hope I’m wrong and we get a free-flowing feast of fiesta football in Monterrey tonight.”
Anthems time. The Netherlands are in their all-orange kits for this one. Morocco are in all-white.
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Hydration breaks / advert breaks / match breaks / cooling breaks / coffee breaks / whatever you want to call them may actually be useful in this match. The temperature at Estadio Monterrey (which sits at an elevation of 530m/1,740ft) is 31 degrees C / 88 degrees F at kickoff.
Side note: if your local kickoff time is 2am or 3am or beyond and you’re still here watching, I cheers my iced tea to you. No cheers to the schedulers.
Thierry Henry on the US broadcast spotlights the matchup between Denzel Dumfries and Achraf Hakimi as the one to watch. Nearing the walk-outs in Monterrey.
Guardian correspondent Nick Ames may well have the best seat in the house at Estadio Monterrey:
“This feels like a semi-final,” Chicarito says on the Fox Sports broadcast. Yes, yes, the new format, but it’s still remarkable that we’re getting this match this early in the knockout stage.
Peter from California agrees: “As a fan of flowing, skillful football and flavorful food, I find it sad that only one of these spicy teams will still be in the tournament come Taco Tuesday.”
David Dyte writes in: “I know we want winners from outside the usual powers, but Paraguay did the thing already today and the Netherlands are a special case. Dutch cyclist Joop Zoetemelk finished second in the Tour de France five times before finally winning the damn thing in 1980. I want the same feeling for Dutch football fans, after three agonizing misses in World Cup finals. They deserve it. Morocco can wait.”
The Morocco fans are also out in full force.
David Wrigley chimes in with a note about Bouaddi: “This kid has the potential to be the coolest footballer since Socrates.”
From Tom Hopkins: “A joy of any World Cup is the things you learn about other countries and other cultures. One thing I’ve learned this time is that Mexico has some genuinely beautiful football grounds. Obviously the Azteca is the icon, but both Monterrey and Guadalajara are wonderful bits of architecture.”
Peter Oh also points out: “It’s good that Morocco aren’t playing this match in Guadalajara’s home stadium of Chivas. The nickname Atlas Lions wouldn’t go over well with the local fans.”
29 June is an eventful day in history for these two sides. Thirty-two years ago, in the group stage of the 1994 World Cup, was the first official match between the Netherlands and Morocco. The Dutch won 2-1.
Exactly 12 years ago, at the 2014 World Cup, a … controversial … late penalty took the Netherlands past Mexico and into the quarter-finals. This fan remembers:
What does this 29 June encounter have in store?
The Oranje fans have already set Kansas City, Dallas and Houston alight. Now it’s Monterrey’s turn.
It was a journey of nearly 1,000mi from Missouri to the mountains of northern Mexico, but they made it. And so did their famous bus!
Ronald Koeman has gone more defensive with his XI for this match. Crysencio Summerville swaps in for Donyell Malen on the wing, plus an extra center-back instead of midfielder Tijjani Reijinders. Stacking up to limit Achraf Hakimi on the flank after his goal and assist v Haiti?
Kári Tulinius writes in with thoughts:
“Koeman loves wing play, and having Van de Ven and Dumfries bombing up the field on the touchline feels very Dutch. Also, if the Moroccan defense stays tight, they can cross it towards Brobbey, but should the Atlas Lions engage the wing-backs, Gakpo and Summerville will have room to maneuver.”
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Back in the XI for Morocco is teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, a sensation in their tournament opener against Brazil. He’s one of the most sought-after talents at this World Cup: Arsenal, PSG, Bayern Munich and Liverpool are among the clubs watching.
He’s studying for a mathematics and physics degree to “make the most of his free time”. What a coincidence! That’s also how I spent my free time when I was an 18-year-old footballing phenom.
Three players at this World Cup scored in all three group-stage games: Vinícius Júnior, Lionel Messi and Morocco’s Ismael Saibari. The Atlas Lions forward looks bound to join Bayern Munich from PSV Eindhoven after this tournament and has been a breakthrough.
Mary Waltz writes in on the back of that Germany v Paraguay shootout: “All England fans admit it. Germany losing by penalties is the ultimate of Schadenfreud.”
The lack of a clinical goalscorer has hampered the Dutch team in recent years, but Brian Brobbey has been the solution at this World Cup. The Sunderland striker didn’t initially project as a starter; Memphis Depay was their leading scorer up top through qualifying, but he was nursing a thigh injury in the run-up to the tournament.
Brobbey, who had just one international goal in 12 caps entering the World Cup, made his first start against Sweden and has three goals in his three shots on target since. Keep your eye on him during the opening quarter-hour: all three of his goals have come within the first 17 minutes.
Ronald Koeman has opted for a back five for this last-32 tie. Micky van de Ven and Crysencio Summerville, both of whom didn’t start the Tunisia game while on yellow cards, are back in the XI.
A bit of a bold move by Koeman! What do you think?
On the other side, Mohamed Ouahbi makes four changes from the Morocco lineup he started in the group-stage finale against Haiti. Among the notable names back in the XI: left-back Noussair Mazraoui and teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.
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Team news
Netherlands (3-4-3): Verbuggen; Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Aké; Van de Ven, De Jong, Gravenberch, Dumfries; Summerville, Brobbey, Gakpo
Morocco (4-2-3-1): Bounou; Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazroui; Bouaddi, El Aynaoui; Brahim, Ounahi, El Khannous; Saibari
Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
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Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi was asked what would inspire his players to justify the feverish expectation hanging over them. Would they turn to the example of history, or would they draw on something else? “The biggest motivation the players have is to put on the jersey and represent the country,” he began. “That is motivation enough to move mountains.”
Can they move the Cerro de la Silla? From Nick Ames in Monterrey:
Japan exited earlier today, but Morocco still offer hope of a winner from outside the traditional powers. (And after that result, maybe Paraguay should count in that group!)
Jonathan Wilson has more:
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Back to this match: the feeling of a Netherlands v Morocco match “is almost that of a derby,” says Jean-Paul Rison, a sports journalist based in Utrecht.
More on the social and cultural ties between these two countries:
Elsewhere in the last 32: penalties!
Preamble
Hello and welcome to one of this World Cup’s most enticing matchups, in both physical beauty – Estadio Monterrey is arguably the most picturesque of the host stadiums – and storylines.
Netherlands v Morocco: the only last-32 tie involving teams who finished the group stage with seven points and who entered the tournament inside the top 10 of Fifa’s rankings. The Dutch finished top of Group F after drawing Japan and beating Sweden and Tunisia; the Atlas Lions were second in Group C, drawing Brazil and beating Scotland and Haiti.
The Netherlands were one of just three teams to hit the 10-goal mark during the group stage. Inserting Brian Brobbey as their striker has added a new dimension to their final third, and now Ronald Koeman’s side are pressing to make an advanced run in the knockouts. Morocco showed their quality and attacking flair through the group stage, dominating early in their draw with Brazil and finding a reliable goalscorer in Bayern-bound Ismael Saibari. This last-32 matchup will be their sternest test yet.
These two sides have a history. Their first-ever meeting was 32 (fitting!) years ago today at the 1994 World Cup. (The Dutch won 2-1.) Many Moroccans moved to the Netherlands in the 1960s, and the street football played between generations of Dutch and Moroccan kids has produced top players for both sides. Three of Morocco’s players in this World Cup squad were born in the Netherlands.
The winner will face Canada on 4 July in Houston. I’ll be back soon with team news and more. In the meantime, send any thoughts to ella.brockway@theguardian.com. And tune in to Rob Smyth’s liveblog for the finish of Germany v Paraguay!
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Ella will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s a look from Graham Ruthven’s daily watch guide on what to know about this last-32 matchup:
What to watch for
By scoring eight goals in their last two games, the Netherlands have laid down a marker at this World Cup. The introduction of Brian Brobbey as an orthodox focal point in attack has completely changed the dynamic of Ronald Koeman’s side, making them just as dangerous as any other team left in this competition.
Morocco have also made a positive impression. Indeed, the 2022 semi-finalists are unbeaten in three games and have evolved their game since the last World Cup. The Atlas Lions are now able to control games with the ball and have a number of natural creators. They don’t, however, have an elite-level forward.
Player to watch: Brian Brobbey, Netherlands – The Sunderland forward is a physical threat, but also does a lot to bring the other Dutch attackers into the game. Cody Gakpo, for example, is better for having Brobbey to play off.
