Canada vs Morocco: Ounahi stars in a 0-3 win

Azzedine Ounahi was the difference in Houston. He scored twice, earned a 9 rating, and pushed Morocco through a tense first half before the game opened up after the break. Brahim Díaz added two assists, and Soufiane Rahimi finished the scoring late in the Canada vs Morocco meeting.

Ounahi’s second-half burst

Ounahi struck in the 50th and 82nd minutes, turning a stubborn contest into a comfortable one. His first goal broke the deadlock, the second took the match away from Canada, and Morocco never really looked back after that. The report from Sky Sports put it plainly enough: Ounahi scored a double before Rahimi added the third to send Morocco into the last eight.

The wider picture was scrappy rather than fluent. The match produced 8 yellow cards and only 7 shots on target, which fits the first-half tension and the stop-start feel before Ounahi settled it. Achraf Hakimi supplied one assist, and Ismael Saibari was forced off injured after 22 minutes, with Rahimi coming on to replace him.

Morocco’s control after the break

This was not just about the brace. Morocco also controlled the game through the same kind of patient, possession-based football that has defined them in the tournament, where they have averaged 55% possession. S. Bounou had little reason to be stretched, because Canada’s pressure never translated into clear chances against Morocco’s shape.

Canada’s night ended with a first in the wrong direction, too, as they became the first co-hosts to fall at this summer’s expanded tournament. For Morocco, the result was more than control and more than a clean scoreline, because it kept their momentum intact and put Ounahi at the centre of a sharp, direct win.