Zlatan Ibrahimović slams Koeman As Morocco shocks Netherlands

Morocco rescued a draw against the Netherlands in the 2026 World Cup round of 16, winning the penalty shootout 3‑2 after a 1‑1 deadlock, while Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimović blasted coach Ronald Koeman for abandoning the Dutch football identity in his post‑match comments. The match began with the Netherlands holding the majority of possession, yet early chances fell to Morocco. Neil El Aynaoui headed towards goal only to be denied by goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, and Achraf Hakimi’s powerful strike was also saved by Verbruggen, the former Anderlecht keeper. The Dutch side opened the scoring in the 73rd minute when Wout Weghorst headed the ball into the box and Cody Gakpo followed up, beating goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to make it 1‑0. The goal gave the Netherlands a brief lead before Morocco fought back.

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In stoppage time, Chemsdine Talbi delivered a cross to Diop, whose header restored parity for Morocco. During extra time, Rahimi found himself with a chance to put his team ahead, but Verbruggen saved the ensuing shot. The penalty shootout saw the Netherlands miss Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber and Crysencio Summerville, while Morocco missed two of their spot‑kicks but still secured a 3‑2 victory.

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The loss eliminated the Netherlands from the tournament earlier than anticipated, and Morocco progressed to the quarter‑finals where they will meet Canada. Zlatan Ibrahimović said, "Cette défaite est de la faute de Koeman. Je n'ai pas reconnu néerlandaise. Koeman a perdu avec une identité qui n'a rien à voir avec l'identité néerlandaise, et ça me met hors de moi. On peut perdre, mais seulement en restant fidèle à soi‑même. C'est ce qui définit qui l'on est. Il était clair que les joueurs n'étaient pas à l'aise. Ils n'avaient pas le contrôle du ballon, ils ne se montraient pas dangereux en attaque, et le match était catastrophique. Je le trouve absolument nul. Vraiment nul." He made the comments in reaction to the Dutch defeat.