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MOROCCO SNATCH SHOOT-OUT VICTORY FROM JAWS OF DEFEAT TO KNOCK NETHERLANDS OUT OF WORLD CUP

Netherlands 1-1 Morocco, Morocco win 3-2 on pens: The Dutch were five minutes from victory in normal time before Issa Diop’s stoppage-time equaliser set up a dramatic penalty shoot-out

Morocco knocked out the Netherlands after a night of high drama in Monterrey (Reuters)

Morocco beat the Netherlands 3-2 in a dramatic penalty shoot-out to reach the World Cup last 16 after their knockout tie ended 1-1 following extra time.

Ismael Saibari converted the winning spot kick ⁠after Yassine Bounou saved Crysencio Summerville's penalty, sending Morocco through after a dramatic contest in which they had forced extra time with a stoppage-time equaliser.

Morocco's Neil El Aynaoui and Dutch substitute Justin Kluivert missed their attempts before Bart Verbruggen appeared to save Soufiane Rahimi's effort, only for the ball to squirm underneath him and trickle over the line.

Quinten Timber then put the ball wide with the Dutch side's fourth kick, Achraf Hakimi struck the post with the chance ⁠to seal victory before Saibari kept his nerve to send Morocco through.

The shootout capped ⁠a gripping encounter in Monterrey that swung repeatedly in both teams' favour, with Cody Gakpo's emotional second-half opener cancelled out by Issa Diop's stoppage-time header before neither team could find a winner in extra time.

Thousands of Morocco supporters erupted at ⁠the final whistle in the last World Cup match to be played in Monterrey, while many local fans celebrated with them after backing ⁠the African side throughout the evening.

"We know this type ‌of game, we know against who we play," Hakimi said. "We have to be focused and be strong physically but also mentally.

"I want to say thank you for Mexico for the support, all the Moroccans that came to support us."

Morocco fashioned the better chances before the ‌break, with goalkeeper Verbruggen producing a series of outstanding saves to deny Ayoub ‌Bouaddi's close-range header and Neil El Aynaoui's powerful effort.

At the other end, Bounou was finally called into action to parry Micky van de Ven's long-range strike.

Cody Gakpo netted an emotional opener for the Netherlands (Reuters)

Hakimi rattled the crossbar and forced another save from Verbruggen as the Dutch struggled to contain the full back's runs from deep before Ronald Koeman's introduction of Wout Weghorst gave his side a much-needed ⁠focal point in attack.

The Atlas Lions enjoyed vocal backing throughout, with many Mexican supporters adopting Morocco for the night and reviving chants of "No era penal (It wasn't a penalty)", recalling the controversial penalty that helped the Netherlands eliminate Mexico at the 2014 World Cup.

The substitute's impact was immediate as he won a flick-on that released Summerville, whose persistence created the opening for Gakpo to sweep a first-time finish beyond Bounou in the 72nd minute.

Issa Diop equalised in stoppage-time for Morocco (Reuters)

Playing days after he and his partner lost their unborn son during pregnancy, Gakpo broke down in tears as teammates rushed to embrace him.

The Netherlands looked increasingly comfortable, with captain Virgil van Dijk producing a crucial intervention to deny Saibari as ‌Morocco threw numbers forward in search of an equaliser.

But just as the Dutch appeared set to see out the victory, substitute Chemsdine Talbi delivered a pinpoint cross from the left and Diop rose above Van Dijk to power a stoppage-time ‌header beyond Verbruggen, sending the match into extra time.

"The game ⁠plan was working," Van Dijk said. "In the end, in stoppage time, you get pushed back. Then it goes to penalties ⁠and then... unfortunately, we’re eliminated.

"Of course, there are always things that could be better, but that doesn't help us now."

Reuters 

Momentum swung from end to end, with the Netherlands threatening ‌on the counter as Morocco chased the game, but could not make their pressure count in open play.

Having ‌weathered Gakpo's emotional opener and survived Hakimi's missed chance to settle the shootout, Morocco held their nerve when it mattered most to keep their World Cup dream alive and book a date with Canada in Houston on Saturday.

Additional reporting by Reuters

- Kieran Jackson and Mark Gleeson

CABO VERDE CONTINUES DREAM RUN, BECOMES SMALLEST COUNTRY TO REACH WORLD CUP KNOCKOUT PHASE

 

Cabo Verde's players celebrate after earning a draw against Saudi Arabia to advance to the round of 32 following their Group H match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston, Texas, June 26, 2026. /VCG

Cabo Verde completed an improbable run through Group H with a third consecutive draw at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming the smallest-ever country to earn a spot in the tournament's knockout phase, following a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia in Houston on Friday.

The tiny island nation off Africa's western coast has enjoyed a stellar debut on football's grandest stage, having held 2010 champion Spain to a 0-0 stalemate before battling from behind to snatch a 2-2 result against Uruguay.

Cabo Verde's three points left the team in second place behind the Spaniards, who beat the Uruguayans later in the evening to top the group with seven points. The Blue Sharks will face reigning World Cup champion Argentina in the round of 32 on July 3 in Miami.

Drawing all three group matches does not guarantee advancement at major tournaments. But several teams have turned the trick in the past including Wales in 1958, Ireland and the Netherlands in 1990, and Chile in 1998. New Zealand, on the other hand, was eliminated despite picking up a trio of draws in 2010.

Spain's 1-0 victory against Uruguay largely came down to another goalkeeping mistake by Fernando Muslera, as La Roja advance to the knockout phase while also eliminating the South American powerhouse and two-time title winner.

Uruguay will go home without any victories from its three Group H games. European champion Spain will face the second-place team from Group J, either Austria or Algeria, in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood on Thursday.

Álex Baena scored in the 42nd minute after Muslera couldn't fully swat away his shot from inside the box. The miscue marked the third blunder of the tournament by the 40-year-old goalkeeper, who reportedly asked coach Marcelo Bielsa to substitute him out at halftime.

Earlier in the day, Ousmane Dembele produced his best-ever World Cup performance with a stunning first-half hat-trick in France's 4-1 win over Norway.

The 29-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward showcased the lethal finishing which helped him win last year's Ballon d'Or, finding the net three times in the space of 26 first-half minutes in the Boston suburb of Foxborough.

Dembele's trio of goals, along with Desire Doue's late header, allowed France to complete the first round with three wins from three matches following earlier victories against Senegal and Iraq.

Les Bleus progress to the round of 32 as Group I winners, bolstered by clear evidence that the French squad can once again be serious title contenders, even if captain Kylian Mbappe isn't the player scoring the goals.

Elsewhere, Senegal lit up the scoreboard against 10-man Iraq in a 5-0 victory that boosted its chances of reaching the knockout phase.

Substitute Pape Gueye scored twice in a second-half flurry as the Lions of Teranga, looking to advance from third place in Group I, took advantage of a first-half red card on Iraqi defender Rebin Sulaka, who prevented Sadio Mane from charging in on goal alone by yanking his shirt.

Habib Diarra opened the scoring in the fourth minute, but even though Sulaka was sent off in the 13th, the Senegalese side didn't find the net again until Ismaila Sarr struck in the 56th minute.

Gueye then added his two goals, both hard blasts from around the edge of the penalty area, with Iliman Ndiaye rounding out the rout after firing in the fifth. Senegal now has three points and a goal difference of plus-two.

Late evening games saw Belgium thrash bottom side New Zealand 5-1 to top Group G, while Egypt held on to second place after a 1-1 draw with Iran, which had a would-be winner in stoppage time ruled offside by the slightest of margins following a VAR review.

That cruel twist of fate left Iran hoping to be one of the eight best third-place teams poised to join the 12 group winners and 12 runners-up in progressing to the round of 32.

Source(s): AP

- CGTN 

FIFA WORLD CUP: GERMANY INTO KNOCKOUT ROUNDS AS NETHERLANDS AND JAPAN WIN

The Netherlands moved closer to qualification with a 5-1 win over Sweden, while Japan beat Tunisia 4-0 in the 1,000th World Cup match.

Undav came off the bench to rescue Germany, scoring the equaliser in the 68th minute before calmly netting the winner deep into stoppage time in Toronto. Getty Images

GERMANY reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time since 2014 with a 2-1 comeback win over Ivory Coast on Saturday, while Curacao claimed their first-ever World Cup point after holding Ecuador to a goalless draw.

Substitute Deniz Undav scored twice for Germany, including the winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time, to send Julian Nagelsmann's side into the last 32. Curacao's 0-0 draw later in the day also ensured Germany finished top of Group E with one game remaining.

The Netherlands moved closer to qualification with a 5-1 win over Sweden, while Japan beat Tunisia 4-0 in the 1,000th World Cup match. On Sunday, Spain will look to bounce back from their opening draw when they face Saudi Arabia.

Undav came off the bench to rescue Germany, scoring the equaliser in the 68th minute before calmly netting the winner deep into stoppage time in Toronto.

The result sends Germany into the knockout rounds for the first time since 2014 after first-round exits in the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

"This is exactly what we hoped for and I'm very happy for my team," Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said.

Germany's victory was followed by Curacao's surprise 0-0 draw with Ecuador in Kansas City. Curacao, the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the World Cup, with around 160,000 inhabitants, earned their first-ever point at the tournament.

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The result confirmed Germany as Group E winners with a match to spare.

Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room made a record 15 saves, the most ever in a World Cup game not involving extra time, to help his side secure the draw.

Dutch Crush Sweden

In Houston, the Netherlands strengthened their chances of reaching the knockout stage with a 5-1 win over Sweden.

Sweden, who opened Group F with a 5-1 victory over Tunisia, knew a win would seal qualification.

Instead, Graham Potter's side fell behind early as Sunderland's Brian Brobbey scored twice in the opening 17 minutes.

Liverpool's Cody Gakpo added two more goals in the first nine minutes of the second half to make it 4-0 before Anthony Elanga scored Sweden's only goal.

Crysencio Summerville completed the scoring in the 89th minute.

The Netherlands, who drew 2-2 with Japan in their opening match, now have four points and a plus-four goal difference, which is almost certain to be enough to secure a place in the last 32 of the expanded 48-team tournament.

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Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman praised his team's display.

"If you look further at the goals we scored, that will cause fear among opponents," Koeman said. "The way those goals came about, in transition with a lot of pace and a lot of quality, we can be incredibly dangerous."

It was the first time Sweden had conceded five goals in a World Cup match since losing 5-2 to Brazil in the 1958 final.

Japan Mark 1,000th World Cup Game

Japan celebrated the 1,000th match in World Cup history with a 4-0 victory over Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico.

After drawing 2-2 with the Netherlands in their opening match, Japan moved level with the Dutch on four points following a dominant display against Tunisia, who rarely threatened.

Daichi Kamada, Ayase Ueda, who scored twice, and Junya Ito were on target as the Blue Samurai left Tunisia facing elimination.

On Sunday, European champions Spain will try to recover from their opening draw with Cape Verde when they face Saudi Arabia.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his players had responded to the criticism following that result.

Teenager Lamine Yamal made only a second-half substitute appearance after returning from injury as Cape Verde, an African archipelago with a population of just over 500,000, secured a draw.

"This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up... It's going to be a completely different story (on Sunday)," De la Fuente said in his pre-match press conference.

- Eastern Eye

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GERMAN MATHEMATICIAN WHO CORRECTLY PREDICTED 3 WORLD CUPS NAMES TEAM TO WIN 2026 TOURNAMENT

• German economist and mathematician Joachim Klement has predicted the Netherlands will win the 2026 FIFA World Cup

• Klement says his prediction is based on an economic model rather than pure football analysis

• He points to the country’s record of reaching three World Cup finals as evidence of its strong football system

German economist and mathematician Joachim Klement has predicted that the Netherlands will win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, extending a forecasting model he says has correctly identified the winners of the previous three tournaments.

Speaking in an interview with CBS News, Klement said his prediction is based on an economic model rather than football performance alone.

German economist Joachim Klement predicts the Netherlands as winners of the 2026 FIFA World Cup using an economic model. Photo credit: Picture Alliance/Roberto Schmidt/DeFodi Images/Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

He explained that the model evaluates four key factors: population size, climate, national wealth and current FIFA rankings.

According to Klement, countries with larger populations have broader talent pools and stronger fan support, while wealth enables investment in sports infrastructure and player development. Climate, he said, can also influence a team's performance.

Although traditional football powerhouses such as Brazil, Argentina, Germany, France and Spain remain among the favourites, Klement believes the Netherlands consistently performs above expectations.

He noted that despite never winning the World Cup, the Dutch national team has reached three finals, which he said reflects the country's strong football culture and effective talent development system.

Klement acknowledged that his latest prediction may surprise many football fans, as the Netherlands is not widely regarded as one of the leading favourites to lift the trophy in 2026.

- Edwin Abanga 

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An amazing comic version of Marco Van Basten's legendary goal for Netherlands in Euro88 Final Match!!

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The legendaries Ruud Gullit 🇳🇱, the referee Michel Vautreau 🇨🇵 and Rinat Dassaev the day that the 2nd version of Rinus Michels 🇳🇱 Clockwork Orange got crowned and won the 1st (and until now) only major tournament for the Netherlands 🇳🇱 at the Euro 1988!

#fifaworldcup #worldcup #euro1988 #gullit #netherlands

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