Ismael Saibari’s World Cup heroics and emotional moment with his mother after Morocco’s historic win

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Football 30-06-2026 | 11:44

Ismael Saibari’s World Cup heroics and emotional moment with his mother after Morocco’s historic win

A world-class performance from Yassine Bounou and a dramatic penalty shootout send Morocco into the Round of 16, capped by a touching post-match moment between Ismael Saibari and his mother

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Ismael Saibari’s World Cup heroics and emotional moment with his mother after Morocco’s historic win
Ismael Saibari with his mother. (AFP)
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The Moroccan national team, fourth place in the previous edition, defeated its Dutch counterpart and advanced to the Round of 16 after winning 3–2 on penalties, following a 1–1 draw in both regular and extra time, in the Mexican city of Monterrey in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

 

Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved the fifth penalty kick from Crysencio Summerville, before Ismael Saibari, his team’s top scorer in the current edition, successfully converted the final penalty, announcing the victory of the “Atlas Lions.”

 

The “Lions” regained their composure amid chants from their fans and the Mexican crowd of “Olé, Olé” and “Maruecos, Maruecos” (Morocco, Morocco).


 

Ismael Saibari and an emotional moment with his mother

 

The mother of star Ismael Saibari burst into tears after the match, as her son was the hero of the promotion game.

 

 

 

Saibari is currently going through one of the best periods of his football career. He has drawn attention in recent weeks thanks to his outstanding performances with the Moroccan national team, confirming his status as one of the most prominent stars of the Atlas Lions at the 2026 World Cup.

 

Ismael Saibari with his mother. (AFP)
Ismael Saibari with his mother. (AFP)

 


In his first World Cup appearance, Ismael Saibari left his mark by scoring against Brazil, then continued his impressive form with a goal against Scotland, before adding another against Haiti, confirming his strong attacking impact with the Moroccan national team.

 

 

Saibari concluded this exceptional run in the best possible way by scoring the decisive penalty against the Netherlands, leading the “Atlas Lions” to qualify for the Round of 16.

 

After the match, his mother embraced him and burst into tears in a deeply emotional moment.



Mohammed Wahbi with his family at the 2026 World Cup

 

The head coach of the Moroccan national team, Mohamed Ouahbi, followed the same path as the players as he went to join his family.

 

Wahbi celebrated in a special and emotional way with his family after leading Morocco to the Round of 16.


 

And this is the third time Morocco has reached the Round of 16 in its seventh appearance at the World Cup, after 1986 and 2022.

 

The Moroccan national team Morocco, which had lost to the Netherlands in the group stage in 1994, set up a clash with Canada, a team it defeated in the third group match at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, as it moved forward on its path toward achieving an unprecedented accomplishment.

Mohamed Ouahbi. (AFP)
Mohamed Ouahbi. (AFP)

 

 

Yassine Bounou: World-Class Goalkeeper

Former Dutch star Ruud Gullit told beIN Sports: “Morocco was far better than us, especially in the second half and extra time. After we scored, I said we were going to steal the win even though we did not deserve it.”

 

Morocco turned the game around against the Netherlands twice. The first time came after Liverpool striker Cody Gakpo gave the Dutch the lead in the 72nd minute, before Fulham defender Issa Diop headed in the equaliser in the first minute of stoppage time. The second comeback came in the penalty shootout, where Neil El Aynaoui missed the first kick, before Morocco ultimately prevailed and booked a place in the next round.

 

They will face Canada next Saturday in Houston, after Canada advanced at the expense of South Africa South Africa with a 1–0 win.


 

Diop said: “It was a very difficult match.”

 

 

He also praised the resilience shown by the players until the final minutes, as well as goalkeeper Bounou, describing him as a world class goalkeeper.

 

Moroccan joy of qualification. (AFP)
Moroccan joy of qualification. (AFP)

 
Tags
Moroccan national team ، 2026 FIFA World Cup ، Yassine Bounou ، Ismael Saibari ، Atlas Lions ، Netherlands ، Mohamed Ouahbi ، 2022 Qatar World Cup ، Ruud Gullit ، Neil El Aynaoui