Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Morocco thrash co-hosts Canada 3-0 to reach World Cup quarter-finals

Azzedine Ounahi opened the scoring for Morocco in the 50th minute.

and • July 4, 2026
Atlas Lions of Morocco
Atlas Lions of Morocco [Credit: LEADERSHIP Newspapers]

The Atlas Lions of Morocco are through to the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following an emphatic 3-0 win over co-hosts Canada in their round of 16 match at the Houston Stadium on Saturday. 

Nothing separated the two sides at halftime as underdog Canada successfully contained Morocco’s attacking threat.

However, the Canadians could only hold their ground until the 50th minute when Azzedine Ounahi finally broke the deadlock after firing home a pass from Achraf Hakimi from the edge of the box. 

The two teams kept up the pressure afterwards, with Canada coming close on several occasions but failing to score. 

On the other end, Ounahi doubled Morocco’s lead in the 82nd minute, firing a pass from Brahim Diaz into the roof of the net to grab his brace before Soufiane Rahimi sealed the victory in stoppage time. 

Following their historic semi-final run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Moroccans are showing the world that the feat was not a fluke.

Morocco will face the winner of the round-of-16 match between France and Paraguay later on Saturday for a place in the semifinals. 

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni

Health

Yobe govt approves enrolment of retirees in health insurance scheme

The Yobe government has approved the enrolment of state and local government retirees into its health insurance scheme.

Governor Mohammed Bago

Education

Niger govt bans graduation ceremonies in private schools

The Niger Private Schools Board has discontinued graduation ceremonies in all private schools with immediate effect.

Bandits

Abuja

Court sentences notorious bandit’s ally to 20 years’ imprisonment

The court convicted Muhammad Sani, arrested and prosecuted by SSS, for concealing information that could have led to the arrest of a notorious bandit.

Tinubu campaigning

Abuja

Social media won’t fetch Tinubu 10 million votes in 2027 election: City Boy Movement

“Ten million votes will not come from slogans or social media. They will come from real people, real members, real engagement and hard work,” CBM’s chief said.

Abia prison

States

SGBV: Abia child molesters convicted, sentenced to 40 years’ imprisonment

Two Abia child molesters have been convicted and sentenced to 30 years and 10 years’ imprisonment, respectively.

National Film and Video Censors Board

Showbiz

NFVCB launches film industry masterclass

NFVCB inaugurated its maiden Masterclass Series to strengthen Nigerian filmmakers’ legal, business and production skills for sustainable industry growth.