Ounahi brace sends Morocco into World Cup quarter-finals as Canada’s fairytale ends
The Mt Kenya Times 
Morocco’s dominant second-half display ended the co-hosts’ historic run in Houston
By Norman Mwale
“That goal took the air out of a Canada side who had to do without their captain, Alphonso Davies.”
HOUSTON — Morocco booked their place in the World Cup 2026 quarter-finals with a dominant 3-0 victory over co-hosts Canada in the Round of 16 at Houston Stadium on Saturday, 4 July 2026.
Azzedine Ounahi was the hero for the Atlas Lions, scoring twice to break Canadian hearts and become the first African player to score twice in a World Cup knockout match since Senegal’s Henri Camara did so against Sweden in 2002. Substitute Soufiane Rahimi added a late third in stoppage time to seal a convincing win.
The match began with Canada pressing high and controlling tempo. Coached by Jesse Marsch, the Canadians created the best chance of a goalless first half when Tani Oluwaseyi’s close-range effort was brilliantly saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
The momentum shifted five minutes after the restart. In the 50th minute, Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi rolled a clever pass from a well-worked free-kick routine into the path of the unmarked Ounahi, who swept a low shot through traffic from the edge of the box to open the scoring.
Canada pushed for an equaliser and were left exposed at the back. That allowed Morocco to strike again in the 82nd minute. After a swift four-on-two counter-attack, Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz slipped a pass to Ounahi, who fired a composed finish into the top corner for his second.
Deep into stoppage time, Diaz turned provider once more, setting up substitute Rahimi to tap in and complete a 3-0 victory.
The result ended Canada’s best World Cup campaign in history. The co-hosts recorded their first tournament win, progressed beyond the group stage for the first time, and reached the knockout phase before being eliminated. Canada were also without captain Alphonso Davies, who was left out after his hamstring did not feel right in training, despite an MRI showing no fresh injury. “Mentally for me, it was tough,” Davies said afterwards.
Marsch praised his team’s effort but acknowledged Morocco had more quality when it mattered. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also congratulated the team on X, calling their World Cup run historic.
For Morocco, the win continues a remarkable rise. The Atlas Lions became the first African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals on more than one occasion, following their semi-final run in Qatar 2022. They will now travel to Boston for a quarter-final clash on 9 July against France, who beat Paraguay 1-0 in Philadelphia.
In Houston, the second half told the story. Morocco’s defensive organisation and clinical counter-attacking proved too much for a brave Canadian side that ran out of ideas after Ounahi’s opener.
With that, Canada’s World Cup journey ends, while Morocco march on with belief that another deep run is possible.
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