Penalty shootouts lead Morocco to the Round of 16 in the World Cup at the expense of the Netherlands.

The penalty shootout granted qualification to the Moroccan national team against their Dutch counterpart with a score of (3-2), after the original and extra time ended in a positive draw (1-1), in the match held at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico, as part of the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup.

During the first 15 minutes of the first half, the match was characterized by a tactical nature, as the play was largely confined to the midfield.

After a quarter of an hour into the match, the national team was close to scoring on two occasions; the first was a header from Nail Al-Ainawi, but Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen saved it, and the second was a shot from captain Achraf Hakimi, but the "Oranje" goalkeeper was on time.

In the dying moments of the first half, the "Lions" had two real chances through Azeddine Ounahi and Ismail Sabiri, but haste and lack of focus prevented them from finding the net.

The second half began with Moroccan pressure on the Dutch goal, as the "Oranje" team retreated, relying on a counter-attacking style, which resulted in a leading goal in the 72nd minute by Cody Gakpo.

After the Dutch team's goal, the "Lions" pressed hard on the "Oranje" defense in search of an equalizer.

The 90+1 minute witnessed the equalizing goal for the national team, through a header from defender Aissa Diop, ending the match in a positive draw (1-1), leading both teams to two extra halves.

The extra halves did not witness any notable changes, as they were purely tactical, before both teams moved to the penalty shootout, which smiled upon the Moroccan national team with a score of (3-2).

It is worth noting that the Moroccan national team will face Canada in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, which eliminated South Africa from the competition.