🏆⚽ Canada 🇨🇦 1 - 2 Morocco 🇲🇦
Moroccan players celebrate as they defeat Canada 2-1 in the World Cup in Qatar, Dec. 1, 2022.
An impassioned Moroccan team clinched a spot in the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time since 1986 by defeating the already-eliminated Canadians 2-1 on Thursday, mercilessly capitalizing on their opponents' blunders.
Morocco, who needed a win or a draw in their final Group F match to reach the knockout rounds, took advantage of a weak clearance by goalkeeper Milan Borjan that landed on the foot of Hakim Ziyech.
Cheered on by a boisterous crowd of Moroccan fans, midfielder Ziyech effortlessly lobbed the ball over the stranded goalkeeper to open scoring in the fourth minute.
Borjan had been placed in an unenviable position by central defender Steven Vitoria, whose feeble back pass forced the goalkeeper to race Moroccan forward Youssef En-Nesyri to the ball.
Morocco defeated Canada 2-1 in a Group F game of the World Cup in Qatar, Dec. 1, 2022.
Morocco advanced to the last 16 at the World Cup for just the second time after a 2-1 win over Canada on Thursday.
The victory meant it finished atop Group F, ahead of 2018 World Cup finalist Croatia and semifinalist Belgium. Croatia went through in second and No. 2-ranked Belgium was eliminated after its 0-0 draw.
The Moroccans' only other trip beyond the group stage came in 1986.
Hakim Ziyech scored for Morocco in the fourth minute after an error by Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan allowed the winger to shoot the ball into an empty goal. Youssef En-Nesyri added a second goal in the 23rd.
It looked then like Morocco would overrun the Canadians.
But Nayef Aguerd's goal just before halftime made it 2-1 and sparked Canada enough to make the remainder of the contest a fairly even one. (AP)