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Morocco delivered a clinical second-half performance to defeat Canada 3-0 at NRG Stadium on Friday, with Azzedine Ounahi and Soufiane Rahimi doing the damage in front of a packed Houston crowd at the FIFA World Cup. The result ends Canada's hopes in the group stage in sobering fashion at their home tournament, with the Atlas Lions controlling proceedings from the opening whistle of the second period.
The first half was a tight, scrappy affair that ended goalless despite Canada generating several early chances. But Morocco switched gears after the restart and never looked back, scoring three times in the final 40 minutes through a combination of fast-break precision and set-piece quality that Canada had no answer for.
Canada showed intent early, earning four corners in the opening six minutes and forcing Yassine Bounou into saves in the 5th and 10th minutes, with Jonathan David and Tani Oluwaseyi both testing the Morocco goalkeeper from inside the box.
But the hosts could not convert their early pressure into a goal, and Morocco, marshaled by Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui down the flanks, gradually asserted control.
The half was not without incident off the ball. Richie Laryea and Achraf Hakimi received yellow cards in the 40th minute following a foul, while Jonathan David was booked in the 43rd minute, and Azzedine Ounahi picked up a caution of his own deep in first-half stoppage time.
Referee Michael Oliver of England had his hands full managing the physical exchanges throughout the first 45 minutes, with both sides racking up fouls in a contest that grew increasingly combative as half time approached.
Morocco took the lead five minutes into the second half when Ounahi drove a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom right corner, assisted by Hakimi following a set-piece move. The goal was the trigger for a dominant Moroccan spell in which Canada's defensive organization, already stretched by Morocco's pace on the counter, began to unravel.
Canada introduced substitutes in an attempt to alter the contest, with Jacob Shaffelburg and Promise David coming on in the 78th minute, followed by Cyle Larin and Jonathan Osorio later in the half.
But Morocco's midfield, anchored by Sofyan Amrabat, who came on in the 63rd minute, continued to press and disrupt Canada's attempts to build. Ounahi struck again in the 82nd minute, this time curling a right-footed effort to the top right corner off an assist from Brahim Diaz following another fast break, to make it 2-0.
Soufiane Rahimi, who had entered in the 22nd minute as a substitute for the injured Ismael Saibari, proved a constant threat.
He had already struck the crossbar with a header in the 85th minute before converting the third goal in the second minute of stoppage time, guiding a left-footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner, again assisted by Brahim Diaz on the break.
The strike capped a complete counter-attacking display from Morocco, who punished Canada repeatedly for their attempts to press forward in search of a goal.
Canada's Jonathan David and Alistair Johnston both spurned chances in stoppage time, with efforts going wide, as the match finished in a manner that reflected Morocco's total dominance in the second half.
Larin received a yellow card in the 67th minute and Canada's discipline wobbled further in the closing stages, with a handball call against Larin in the 90th minute adding to the hosts' frustrations.
Morocco, who reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, showed once again that their combination of defensive solidity and explosive transition football is capable of undoing even well-organized opposition.
Canada, co-hosting the tournament alongside the United States and Mexico, now face a difficult road ahead following a night that offered early promise but ultimately delivered a chastening defeat.
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