The opening match of the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup pitted two very different teams against each other: Morocco, ranked sixth in the FIFA standings, faced Canada, who were 24 places lower.
Canada adopted a very physical, almost hockey-like approach, committing numerous minor fouls and relying heavily on set pieces. This tactic paid off in the first half, as the Canadians earned a plethora of corners while the frustrated Moroccans received four yellow cards from just six fouls. Despite the intensity, there was only one clear goal-scoring opportunity. In the 10th minute, Oluwaseyi maneuvered past Halkhal and fired a close-range shot, but Bounou made a crucial save with his foot, denying Morocco an early goal.
The dynamic shifted dramatically after halftime once Morocco scored a quick goal. On the 50th minute, following a clever backward pass from Hakimi off a free kick, Unahi calmly placed the ball into the bottom corner to put Morocco ahead 1-0.
Canada lost their earlier boldness, and Morocco began to punish them on the counterattack. In the 82nd minute, Morocco launched a swift breakaway. Braim Diaz chose not to shoot himself but instead laid the ball off to Unahi, who powered a shot into the net to complete his brace and extend the lead to 2-0.
In the final moments of stoppage time, Morocco struck again on another counterattack. After a pass from Diaz, Rahimi calmly outplayed Crepo to seal the match with a 3-0 victory for Morocco.
2026 World Cup
Canada 0–3 Morocco (0–0)
Goals: Unahi A. 50 (0–1); Unahi A. 82 (0–2); Rahimi S. 98 (0–3)
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