Late surge sends Morocco into knockouts after Haiti scare

Morocco staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Haiti 4-2, securing their place in the World Cup knockout stage. The North African team, which reached the semifinals four years ago, twice came from behind against a Haitian side making its first World Cup appearance in over five decades.

Substitute Soufiane Rahimi scored the go-ahead goal in the 78th minute, and Gessime Yassine sealed the victory in the 89th. This win propelled Morocco into second place in Group C, behind Brazil. They now await a match against the second-place finisher in Group F, which could be the Netherlands, Japan, or Sweden.

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At times we lacked humility and paid the price for it. We weren’t fully committed in the duels; we gave them confidence and allowed them to grow into the game and score twice.

Haiti took a surprising lead in the 10th minute with their first World Cup goal since Emmanuel Sanon scored in 1974. The goal was officially credited as an own goal by Morocco's goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou. Despite the historic moment for Haiti, they were unable to secure their first-ever World Cup point.

Moroccan midfielder Bilal El Khannouss acknowledged the team's initial struggles, stating, "At times we lacked humility and paid the price for it. We weren’t fully committed in the duels; we gave them confidence and allowed them to grow into the game and score twice." He added that the coach urged greater aggression and intensity at halftime, which the team delivered.

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At halftime, the coach told us we needed to be more aggressive, win the second balls, and bring greater intensity to our attacking play.