Canada vs Morocco: Morocco reached the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time since 1986 after beating Canada 2-1 on Thursday.
After a 2-0 victory against Belgium and a goalless draw with Croatia, the Atlas Lions entered the match at Al Thumama Stadium in a good position in Group F.
Hakim Ziyech scored in the fourth minute after goalkeeper Milan Borjan inexplicably played the ball into his path.
Youssef En-Nesyri raced past the slow Canadian backline to score a second goal in the 23rd minute for Walid Regragui’s team. Sevilla’s striker, who later had a goal disallowed for offside, fired the ball into Borjan’s near post.
Canada equalized before halftime when Sam Adekugbe’s dangerous cross hit Nayef Aguerd and fooled Yassine Bounou.
Early midfield changes gave Canada composure and creativity, and Les Rouges applied pressure in the final 30 minutes. Veteran midfielder Atiba Hutchinson rattled the crossbar in the 72nd minute, coming close to scoring on his final appearance for Canada.
Canada returned home without a point. Morocco won Group F against all odds to face Group E’s second-place team.
Player Rating for Canada vs Morocco
1. Canada (3-4-2-1)
GK: Milan Borjan, got a score of 2/10 because he made a terrible mistake for Morocco’s first goal and was beaten at his near post for the second.
Alistair Johnston, 6/10: Not to blame for either goal and both offensively and defensively, put in a good shift.
Steven Vitoria, the center-back, got a 3/10 because he sold Borjan a little short on the first goal and left himself open for the second.
CB: Kamal Miller – 5/10 – Didn’t do a great job on Morocco’s second goal, but he got back on track and had a good second half.
RWB: Taejon Buchanan – 5/10 – In the 15th minute, he had a good chance at the far post but missed it. After that, they didn’t really test Morocco.
Mark-Anthony Kaye – 4/10 – Looked a little lost in the middle of the field, and he missed a few loose balls.
Jonathan Osorio – 4/10 – Like Kaye, Osorio seemed to be a few seconds behind the action. Not for him.
Sam Adekugbe, LWB, 7/10: His strong run and dangerous cross led to Canada’s goal. Always tried to give people a way out.
RF: Junior Hoilett gets an 8/10 and is by a long shot Canada’s best player. Always tried to take the game to Morocco, and he used his experience to get key fouls.
ST: Cyle Larin, 5/10: Aside from one dangerous cross, Larin was just a bystander. only got five passes through the whole game.
LF: Alphonso Davies – 6/10 – He didn’t lack ideas or confidence, but he tried to do too much by himself. Needed his teammates to help him more often and better.
Atiba Hutchinson (for Kaye in the 60th minute): 8/10 He gave Canada’s midfield more calm, and on his last game for Canada, he was so close to scoring. That would have been like a scene from a fairy tale.
Jonathan David (in the 60th minute, for Larin): 5/10 Didn’t find his rhythm.
SUB: Ismael Kone (60′, for Adekugbe) – 8/10 – Looked much older than his 20 years. calm, quick, and moving forward with the ball.
Richie Laryea (6/10) came in for Osorio in the 65th minute. Was aggressive, but didn’t change the game in the end.
David Wotherspoon came on in place of Hoilett in the 76th minute. Never got going.
2. Morocco (4-3-3)
Yassine Bounou, the goalkeeper, got a 6/10 because a deflection led to Canada’s goal. Not much else to do, really.
RB: Achraf Hakimi, 8/10. He gave En-goal Nesyri a great long pass behind the Canadian defense, and he was always a threat going forward.
Nayef Aguerd – 6/10 – Even though they scored their own goal, they did a good job.
CB: Romain Saiss (7/10): He kept the Moroccan defense calm, both when he had the ball and when he didn’t.
LB: Noussair Mazraoui – 6/10 – Morocco’s play was mostly to the right, so they never really got into the game. Did well on defense.
CM: Abdelhamid Sabiri, 6/10: Clean enough for 65 minutes.
CM: Sofyan Amrabat – 8/10 – Keeps impressing at this tournament with his precise passing and hard work on defense.
CM: Azzedine Ounahi, 7/10. He kept the ball moving with quick passes and driving runs.
RW: Hakim Ziyech – 8/10 – Used Borjan’s mistake to score the first goal and always looked like they were about to do something amazing.
Youssef En-Nesyri: 9 out of 10 Scored one goal, but another was taken away because the player was offside. He used his speed and strength well against a Canadian defence that was having trouble.
Sofiane Boufal gets an 8/10 for being quick and creative. Kept the Canadians on a tightrope by getting fouls in risky spots.
Zakaria Aboukhlal came on in place of Boufal in the 65th minute. He didn’t touch the ball much.
SUB: Selim Amallah (65′, for Sabiri) – 6/10: Didn’t do much, but helped keep Canada from winning.
Abderrazak Hamdallah, who came on for Ziyech in the 76th minute, had trouble keeping the ball in play.
SUB: Jawad El Yamiq (77′, for Ounahi) – 5/10 – Didn’t change the game much.
SUB: Yahya Jabrane (85′, for Hakimi) – N/A – There wasn’t enough time to start.
Youssef En-Nesyri was the best player of the game.
