FIFA World Cup, Morocco edge past Haiti 4-2: Key stats
What's the story
Team Morocco has secured its place in the last 32 of the FIFA World Cup after a thrilling 4-2 victory over Haiti in Atlanta. The match was a rollercoaster ride, with Morocco coming from behind twice before finally sealing their win. Despite the win, Morocco couldn't top Brazil in the Group C standings. They finished level on seven points with Brazil but were runners-up on goal difference.
Next steps
Morocco's journey to the knockout stage
Morocco will face the winners of Group F, which is likely to be the Netherlands. This comes ahead of their final group game against Tunisia later this week. Meanwhile, the match against Haiti was a rollercoaster ride with both teams exchanging blows throughout the match.
Match highlights
A thrilling 1st-half spectacle in Atlanta
Morocco were shocked in the 10th minute when Haiti's Lenny Joseph forced an own goal off a Jean-Kevin Duverne cross. The goal was credited as an own goal against goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. However, Morocco equalized six minutes before half-time through Hakimi, who tapped in Bilal El Khannouss's deflected shot. Haiti responded with Wilson Isidor's stunning long-range strike, but Ismael Saibari restored parity just before half-time with his third tournament goal.
Final moments
Rahimi and Yassine seal a sensational victory for Morocco
In the final minutes of the match, substitute Rahimi scored in the 78th minute to give Morocco a 3-2 lead. He latched onto Chadi Riad's flick-on and fired home after a deflection. Yassine added another goal in the 89th minute after Rahimi kept the ball in play while challenging Carlens Arcus. The goal was given after a lengthy VAR review, sealing Morocco's thrilling win over Haiti at Atlanta Stadium.
Match stats
Here are the match stats
From 19 attempts, Morocco recorded 12 shots on target. Haiti managed just two strikes on target from seven attempts. The winning team had a dominant 54% ball possession in the game. They completed 526 passes with a sensational 91% accuracy. Haiti's passes count was 235. Their accuracy was 83%.
Information
Feat for Saibari
As per Squawka, Saibari is the first-ever Moroccan player to score in all three group games at a single World Cup tournament. Before his brace in the aforementioned game, he also found goals against Brazil and Scotland.