‘Street football on world stage’: Morocco and Netherlands face off in last-32 game with a backstory

T hirty-two years to the day since their first official encounter, Morocco and the Netherlands face each in what has the makings of a blockbuster last-32 match. Many things have changed since the 1994 World Cup group game in Orlando, which Netherlands won 2-1, but Morocco’s history is never far from the plot. Take the venue for Monday’s encounter – Monterrey, where the Atlas Lions played most of their 1986 World Cup campaign, in the process becoming the first African team to progress through the group stage. So many in Morocco spy a golden opportunity for revenge and glory. And they would be right to do so given how four years ago, in Qatar, Morocco stunned the world by reaching the semi-finals, beating Belgium, Spain and Portugal in the process. They now have another European heavyweight firmly in their sights. “It’s a shame two such great footballing nations meet this early in the knockout stage,” says Hassan Bahara, a Moroccan-Dutch author and journalist. “I’d have hoped they’d face each other later, after both had the chance to show the world what they’re capable of”. Indeed, this is the only last-32 tie involving two teams who finished the group stage with seven points and who came into the tournament inside the top 10 of Fifa’s rankings. It is also Morocco’s second clash against genuine contenders for the trophy, after their Group C opener against Brazil, which ended 1-1. …