FIFA World Cup 2026: Morocco eliminates the Netherlands, Cody Gakpo marks milestone days after unborn son's death

Morocco's domination at the World Cup continues as Netherlands crash out of the tournament after yet another heartbreaking penalty shootout loss.

The two sides met at Estadio Monterrey on June 29, 2026 for the Round of 32 clash at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The African side defeated the Dutch 2-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Morocco eliminate Netherlands from the FIFA World Cup in penalties

The Round of 32 match between Morocco and Netherlands was a high-voltage contest with the match having the highest combined ranking in the enter knock-out round. With Morocco and Netherlands being sixth and seventh in FIFA World rankings, respectively, it was a high stakes match.

Both sides were unable to break the deadlock until Dutch player Cody Gakpo scored in the 72nd minute to give his country the much-needed lead. It was an emotional moment for the 27-year-old who, instead of scoring, broke down as his teammates rushed to embrace him.

Cody Gakpo's big tragedy

Gakpo became the Netherlands' second-highest FIFA World Cup scorer with six goals, but this milestone came to him amid a time of personal grief. Gakpo and his partner, Noa van der Bij, lost their unborn son, Elijah Raphael Gakpo, during pregnancy, and the player had returned to the Dutch camp to help his team proceed to the Round of 16 despite the personal crisis.

Morocco, who were on the brink of elimination till the 90th minute of normal time, changed things around in an instant when Issa Diop scored in the 90+1st minute. The match went into 30 minutes of extra time where neither team scored.

The match had to be decided on penalties

With the knock-out stages officially underway, each match now must have a winner or loser. So, it was time for the nerve-wracking penalty shootout and both teams had to wait till the very last shot to know their fate.

Both teams had missed two each after four shots when Crysencio Summerville stepped up for the Netherlands. Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, famous for his penalty shootout heroics at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, made a stunning save with his left hand.

Finally, it was all left to Morocco's Ismael Saibari who made no mistake to perfectly shoot the decisive penalty, sending his country straight to the Round of 16 as the Dutch players had yet another shock exit from the tournament.

This was the Netherlands' earliest World Cup exit who had reached at least the Round of 16 in the 11 World Cups they had played. However, this loss also marked their third consecutive time that they lost in a penalty shootout at the tournament. They were eliminated by Argentina in both their last two appearances (2014 in the semi-finals and 2022 in the quarter-finals).

Morocco will now face Canada, who beat South Africa, in the Round of 16 on July 4, 2026.

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