One of the “dark horses” of the 2026 World Cup, the Netherlands, failed to progress beyond the first round of the playoffs. Facing Morocco, the Dutch side initially held onto a winning lead during regular time but ultimately saw their advantage slip away, culminating in a nightmare penalty shootout.
The Oranje coaching staff surprised many by reshaping their defense into a three-center-back formation before kickoff, with Nathan Ake moving from midfield to replace Tijjani Reijnders. This tactical shift disrupted the team’s balance significantly: in the first half, the Dutch completely ceded control of the midfield, committing numerous errors during transitional phases.
Morocco dominated possession and created several dangerous chances. It was only thanks to the outstanding reflexes of goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, who denied a powerful header from Nail El Aynaoui and a close-range strike from Achraf Hakimi, that the Europeans went into halftime with the score still level.
After the break, Morocco’s dominance became overwhelming — at one point, the Netherlands’ possession plummeted to a critical 21%. Hakimi rattled the crossbar, and in the next sequence, a desperate sliding tackle from Van de Ven prevented Ronald Koeman’s side from conceding.
The Europeans found a lifeline during a water break. Koeman introduced Koopmeiners and Weghorst, and the change paid off immediately. Weghorst won an aerial duel, Summerwill flicked the ball on while falling, and Cody Gakpo calmly slotted home to put the Netherlands ahead. However, the Oranje could not hold onto their lead — in the first minute of added time, Moroccan central defender Issa Diop headed in an equalizer, sending the match into extra time at 1-1.
During extra time, Morocco had a golden chance to clinch victory, but Verbruggen produced another incredible save to deny Soufyan Rahimi. Ultimately, the fate of the last 16 spot was decided by penalties. Koopmeiners confidently converted the first spot-kick for the Dutch, but it proved to be a rare positive moment for them. Justin Kluivert struck the post, followed by misses from Quinten Timber and Krisencio Summerwill. Although Morocco also faltered, the final word went to them as Ismail Saibari scored the winning penalty.
The Netherlands exit the 2026 World Cup, while Morocco will face Canada in the next playoff round.
World Cup 2026
Netherlands 1–1 Morocco (0–0), Morocco win 3–2 on penalties
Goals: Gakpo 72′ (1–0); Issa Diop 90′ (1–1)
