The Midfield Maestro Announces Himself
For 90 minutes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Azzedine Ounahi was the best footballer on the planet. The 26-year-old Olympique Marseille midfielder scored twice — a curling left-footed strike from 22 meters in the 38th minute and a clinical near-post finish in the 67th minute — as Morocco dispatched Canada 3-0 to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the second consecutive tournament. Youssef En-Nesyri added the third in stoppage time, but this was Ounahi's night. His performance drew comparisons to Luka Modric's finest World Cup displays: elegant, controlled, and devastating in equal measure.
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The First Goal: Technique from Another Era
Ounahi's opening goal will be studied in coaching academies for years. Receiving the ball from Hakim Ziyech on the left side of the Canadian penalty area, Ounahi took one touch to set the ball onto his left foot, shifted his body weight over the ball, and curled a shot that traveled at 97 kilometers per hour into the top right corner. The ball's trajectory described a perfect arc, bending away from goalkeeper Milan Borjan's outstretched glove and nestling into the side netting. The expected goals value of the chance was 0.04 — meaning that statistically, it should have been scored once in every 25 attempts. Ounahi made it look inevitable.
The Second Goal: The Complete Midfielder
If the first goal was about technique, the second was about intelligence. In the 67th minute, Ounahi began a run from the center circle, exchanging passes with Sofiane Boufal and Ziyech in a triangular combination that moved the ball 40 meters in four seconds. When Ziyech slipped a through ball into the channel, Ounahi had already anticipated the pass and was sprinting beyond Canada's defensive line. His first touch took the ball past the advancing Borjan, and his finish — a controlled side-foot into the near post from an acute angle — demonstrated the clinical composure of a world-class striker rather than a central midfielder.
Morocco's 34-Match Unbeaten Run
Morocco's victory over Canada extended their unbeaten run in competitive matches to 34 games, a sequence that stretches back to September 2023. During this period, they have won 28 and drawn 6, scoring 71 goals and conceding just 12. The run encompasses the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (where they finished as runners-up), the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign (topped their group with a perfect record), and now five matches at the World Cup itself. Walid Regragui's team has evolved since their surprise run to the 2022 World Cup semifinals in Qatar. The defense, anchored by Achraf Hakimi and Nayef Aguerd, remains world-class. But the attack — with Ounahi, Ziyech, Boufal, and En-Nesyri — has become significantly more dangerous.
Canada's Co-Host Nightmare Continues
For Canada, the defeat completed a miserable World Cup on home soil — or rather, on American soil, since none of Canada's group stage matches were played in Canada. Jesse Marsch's team finished third in their group behind France and Germany, squeezed into the Round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams, and then beat Australia 2-1 before running into Morocco. The 3-0 scoreline flattered Canada slightly — Borjan made six saves and Jonathan David hit the post in the first half — but the gulf in quality between the two teams was undeniable. Canada's World Cup dream, built on the promise of co-hosting, ended in Atlanta with a whimper rather than a bang.
Ounahi's Journey from Angers to Marseille to the World Stage
Ounahi's trajectory mirrors Morocco's: rapid, unexpected, and upward. At the 2022 World Cup, he was a 22-year-old playing for Angers in Ligue 1, largely unknown outside France. His performances in Qatar — particularly against Spain and Portugal — earned him a January transfer to Olympique Marseille for 15 million euros. At Marseille, he has developed into one of the best central midfielders in European football, combining Moroccan technical flair with the physical demands of the French league. His two goals against Canada take his World Cup career total to five — all scored in knockout matches across two tournaments. Only Messi, Haaland, and Mbappe have scored more goals in the knockout stages of the 2026 tournament.
Tags: Azzedine Ounahi, Morocco, Canada, World Cup 2026, Round of 16, two goals, midfield maestro, unbeaten run, Marseille, quarterfinal
Sources consulted: ESPN · CBS Sports · FIFA · Yahoo Sports
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