Issa Diop headed in late for Diop Morocco against The Netherlands. Gakpo had opened the scoring midway through the second half, but the late header changed the closing stretch of this FIFA World Cup round of 32 match.
Talbi Finds Diop
Chemsdine Talbi supplied the cross from the left, and Diop met it with a header into the far corner. Virgil van Dijk watched the ball go past him as Morocco kept its late push alive.
The move fit the pattern of the last minutes. Morocco had six minutes added at the end, and the side had already scored three goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half at this World Cup, while Canada had scored four in that same period.
Netherlands Sit In
The Netherlands had been sitting in and inviting Morocco to break them down even as Morocco pushed for a late goal. Crysencio Summerville entered the Morocco penalty area before Noussair Mazraoui slid in to stop him, and Denzel Dumfries drove down the right before his cut back failed to find a Dutch teammate.
The Dutch also made changes in midfield and at the back, with Quinten Timber replacing Ryan Gravenberch and Jorrel Hato replacing Micky van de Ven. Morocco answered with Bilal El Khannouss coming off for Talbi, and that switch ended with the cross that Diop turned in.
Canada Awaits Saturday
The winner was stated to play Canada on Saturday in the last 16, so the late header carried immediate knockout value. Clinton Morrison summed up the danger of the closing minutes on Radio 5 Live: “That's what sometimes happens. You make too many substitutions, you think the game's over. You can never think the game's over.”
He added: “Talbi is a good player. I think they are going to play two up front now and just go for it.” For Morocco, the final stretch became about forcing one more opening; for The Netherlands, it became about surviving the last six minutes.
