By Kede Aihie
Morocco dug deep from behind to beat the Netherlands on penalties.
Possibly one of the most incredible football encounters in a knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup finals. It felt like a final of the tournament. I have run out of adjectives to describe the superlative performances of Morocco.
On the match itself, it was an impressive display of control from Morocco. The first half was 50/50 in possession. Then came the second half; Morocco upped its game and had 80 percent possession, but conceded a goal through the brilliance of Liverpool midfielder Cody Gakpo in the 72nd minute.
Morocco dug deep, and with the last throw of the dice, brought in fresh legs and, without a bother about the spot, got a well-deserved equaliser through Issa Diop’s header one minute into stoppage time to take the game into extra-time. Morocco almost snatched victory, but were thwarted by the brilliance of the Dutch goalkeeper.
The tension was palpable during the penalty shoot-out, with both sides missing their turns. It took the brilliance of the Morocco goalkeeper to make a critical save that gave Morocco the opportunity to convert the final kick. Ismael Saibari scored it, knocking out the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties.
Morocco, on the balance of play, had a slight edge over the Netherlands and deserved to have won.
