Key events
From Tom Hopkins: “The joy of any World Cup is what you learn about other countries and other cultures. One thing I learned this time is that Mexico has some really beautiful soccer fields. Obviously the Azteca is the icon, but both Monterrey and Guadalajara are wonderful examples of architecture.”
Peter O also notes: “It’s good that Morocco is not playing this match at Guadalajara’s Chivas home stadium.” Nickname Atlas “The Lions won’t please the local fans.”
View inside the Monterrey stadium. Photograph: Maja Hitij/FIFA/Getty ImagesShare
June 29 is an eventful day in history for these two sides. Thirty-two years ago, the first official match between the Netherlands and Morocco took place in the group stage of the 1994 World Cup. The Dutch won with a score of 2:1.
Exactly 12 years ago at the 2014 World Cup… a controversial… late penalty allowed the Netherlands to leapfrog Mexico into the quarter-finals. This fan remembers:
A fan at the Estadio Monterrey stadium. Photograph: Karl Resin/Getty Images
What does the meeting on June 29th have in store?
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Orange fans have already set fire to Kansas City, Dallas and Houston. Now it’s Monterrey’s turn.
It was a journey of nearly 1,000 miles from Missouri to the mountains of northern Mexico, but they made it. And their famous bus too!
Dutch fans reached Monterrey. Photo: ANP/ShutterstockShare
Ronald Koeman became more defensive with his squad in this match. Crisencio Summerville replaces Donyell Malen on the wing, as well as an additional centre-back in place of midfielder Tijani Rejinders. Can you limit Achraf Hakimi on the wing after his goal and assist against Haiti?
Kari Tulinius writes with thoughts:
“Koeman likes to play on the wing and when Van de Ven and Dumfries bombard the pitch on the touchline it looks very Dutch. Also, if the Moroccan defense stays tight they can cross it towards Brobbey, but if the Atlas Lions engage the full-backs, Gakpo and Summerville will have room to manoeuvre.”
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Updated at 8:16 pm ET.
Teenage midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi, who became a sensation in the first match of the tournament against Brazil, has returned to the Moroccan national team. He is one of the most sought-after talents at this World Cup, with Arsenal, PSG, Bayern Munich and Liverpool among the clubs keeping an eye on him.
He is studying mathematics and physics to “make the most of his free time.” What a coincidence! This is exactly how I spent my free time when I was an 18-year-old football phenom.
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Three players at this World Cup scored in all three group stage matches: Vinicius Junior, Lionel Messi and Moroccan Ismael Saibary. The Atlas Lions striker looks set to join Bayern Munich from PSV Eindhoven after this tournament, and it has been a breakthrough.
Ismael Saibari player embedShare
Mary Waltz writes after the Germany-Paraguay shootout: “All England fans admit this. Losing to Germany on penalties is the ultimate in Schadenfroy.”
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The lack of a talented goalscorer has hampered the Dutch team in recent years, but Brian Brobbey has been the solution at this World Cup. The Sunderland striker was not initially planned to be in the starting line-up; Memphis Depay was their top scorer in qualifying, but he was nursing a thigh injury in the lead-up to the tournament.
Brobbey, who has scored just one international goal in 12 World Cup appearances, made his first start against Sweden and has since scored three goals in three shots on target. Keep an eye on him in the first quarter of an hour: all three of his goals came within the first 17 minutes.
Brian Brobbey player embedShare
Ronald Koeman chose a back five for this Round of 16 match. Mickey van de Ven and Crisencio Summerville, who did not start against Tunisia with yellow cards, returned to the squad.
A bit of a bold move on Koeman’s part! What do you think?
On the other hand, Mohamed Ouahbi makes four changes to the Morocco squad he started in the group stage final against Haiti. Notable names in the starting XI include left-back Noussair Mazraoui and teenage midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi.
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Updated at 8:10 pm ET.
Team news
Netherlands (3-4-3): Verbuggen; Van Heck, Van Dijk, Ake; Van de Ven, De Jong, Gravenberch, Dumfries; Summerville, Brobbey, Gakpo
Morocco (4-2-3-1): Bunu; Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazroui; Bouaddi, El Ainaoui; Brahim, Unahi, El-Hannus; Saibari
Judge: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
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Updated at 7:51 p.m. ET.
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi was asked what will inspire his players to live up to the hectic expectations hanging over them. Would they turn to the example of history or would they turn to something else? “The players’ biggest motivation is to put on the jersey and represent the country,” he began. “This motivation is enough to move mountains.”
Will they be able to move Cerro de la Silla? From Nick Ames in Monterrey:
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Japan today left the EU, but Morocco still offers hope for a winner from outside the traditional powers. (And after this result, perhaps Paraguay should join this group!)
Jonathan Wilson has more:
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Updated at 7:33 p.m. ET.
Returning to this match, the Netherlands-Morocco match feels “almost like a derby,” says Jean-Paul Raison, a Utrecht-based sports journalist.
Read more about the social and cultural ties between these two countries:
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Elsewhere in the last 32: penalties!
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to one of the most enticing matches of this World Cup, both in terms of physical beauty (Estadio Monterrey is perhaps the most picturesque of the host stadiums) and storyline.
Netherlands – Morocco: the only round of 16 match involving teams that finished the group stage with seven points and entered the tournament in the top 10 of the FIFA rankings. The Dutch finished top of Group F after drawing with Japan and beating Sweden and Tunisia; The Atlas Lions finished second in Group C, drawing with Brazil and beating Scotland and Haiti.
The Netherlands were one of only three teams to score the 10-goal mark in the group stage. The addition of Brian Brobbey as a striker has added a new dimension to their final third and Ronald Koeman’s side are now looking to push forward in the knockout stages. Morocco showed their quality and attacking flair in the group stage, dominating the early stages of the match against Brazil and finding a reliable goalscorer in Ismael Saibary to head to Bayern. The 1/8 final match will be their toughest test yet.
These two sides have a history. Their first meeting took place 32 (appropriate!) years ago today, at the 1994 World Cup. (The Dutch won 2-1.) Many Moroccans moved to the Netherlands in the 1960s, and street soccer, played by generations of Dutch and Moroccan children, produced top players for both teams. Three Moroccan players in the World Cup squad were born in the Netherlands.
The winner will face Canada on July 4 in Houston. I’ll be back soon with team news and more. In the meantime, send any thoughts to ella.brockway@theguardian.com. Tune in to Rob Smith’s live blog for the latest coverage of the Germany v Paraguay match!
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Updated 4/20 ET.
Ella will be here soon. In the meantime, here’s Graham Ruthven’s daily guide to what you need to know about this Round of 16 match:
What to pay attention to
With eight goals scored in their last two games, the Netherlands set a record at this World Cup. The emergence of Brian Brobbey as the traditional attacking coordinator completely changed the dynamic of Ronald Koeman’s side, making them as dangerous as any team left in the competition.
Morocco also made a positive impression. Indeed, the 2022 semi-finalists are unbeaten in three games and have improved their play since the last World Cup. The Atlas Lions can now control the ball and have a number of natural creators. However, they do not have an elite level striker.
Player to watch: Brian Brobbey, Netherlands – The Sunderland striker is a physical threat, but he also does a lot to get the other Dutch strikers involved in the game. Cody Gakpo, for example, would be better off with Brobbey playing.
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