Morocco beats Haiti 4-2 to reach World Cup knockout stage

Morocco shook off two Haiti leads and scored three unanswered goals from the 39th minute on to win 4-2 at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, sealing a place in the World Cup round of 32. The result left Morocco second in Group C with seven points and sent Haiti out with zero.

Yassine Bounou’s own goal in the 10th minute put Haiti ahead, and Achraf Hakimi answered in the 39th minute to level the score. Haiti recovered again when Wilson Isidor struck in the 43rd minute, but Ismael Saibari equalized in first-half stoppage time to keep Morocco alive before the break.

The second half turned on Morocco’s depth and finish. Soufiane Rahimi, who came off the bench, put Morocco in front in the 78th minute, and Gessime Yassine added the fourth in the 89th to end a match that swung wildly from one end to the other. Saibari’s goal was his third of the tournament, another marker of how Morocco kept finding answers as the game grew more chaotic.

Hakimi, named Player of the Match, was central to the response and underlined the mentality and competitive spirit that carried Morocco through a night when control disappeared and then returned. Morocco did not lead until the final 12 minutes, but once it reasserted itself, Haiti had no way back. That mix of resilience and late pressure leaves Morocco entering the knockout stage with a clear warning attached to its seven-point group finish: even after giving up two leads, it can still end a match on its own terms.