Morocco booked their place in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over a spirited Haiti side on Wednesday. However, the North Africans missed out on finishing top of Group C after Brazil defeated Scotland 3-0.
Both Morocco and Brazil ended the group stage with seven points but Brazil claimed first place on goal difference. Morocco will now face the winners of Group F, either the Netherlands, Japan or Sweden, in the knockout stage on Monday.
Haiti, already eliminated after losing their first two matches, made life difficult for Morocco and twice took the lead. Their opening goal came after 10 minutes when a move involving Josue Casimir, Jean-Kevin Duverne and Lenny Joseph eventually resulted in the ball going into the net off Morocco goalkeeper Yacine Bounou. It was later ruled as an own goal.
Morocco responded in the 39th minute through captain Achraf Hakimi, who reacted quickest after goalkeeper Johny Placide had parried a cross. But Haiti restored their advantage just four minutes later when Wilson Isidor unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box.
The lead did not last long. Morocco hit back almost immediately as Ismael Saibari finished off a move created by Hakimi to make it 2-2 before half-time.
After an entertaining first half, Morocco finally went ahead in the 78th minute. Substitute Soufiane Rahimi capitalised on Haiti’s failure to clear a corner and fired home from close range. Deep into stoppage time, Rahimi turned provider, setting up 20-year-old Gessime Yassine for a simple finish to seal the win.
Although Haiti leave the tournament without a point, they earned plenty of respect with their performances in their first World Cup appearance in 52 years. Veteran goalkeeper Johny Placide, playing his final international match after 15 years of service, produced several excellent saves to keep his team in the contest.
