Two late, dramatic second-half goals saved the day for Morocco as the Atlas Lions secured a hard-fought 4-2 victory against Haiti in their final 2026 FIFA World Cup Group C fixture at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The victory guaranteed that the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists advanced into the high-stakes Round of 32 as the runners-up of Group C.
Despite being mathematically eliminated from knockout contention prior to kickoff, a fearless Haitian side put up a brilliant offensive masterclass, taking the lead twice in the game and pushing the North African giants to their absolute limit.
The Caribbean nation opened the scoring inside the first 10 minutes following a beautifully coordinated team passing sequence, which ended with a Lenny Joseph strike that was unfortunately recorded as an own goal by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Morocco responded with immense offensive pressure, finding an equalizer near the 30-minute mark when Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi bundled the ball over the line following a weak clearance attempt by Haitian goalkeeper Johny Placide.
However, Haiti shocked the Atlanta crowd just four minutes later when Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor unleashed a stunning, world-class strike into the back of the net to restore their lead.
The lead was short-lived, as Morocco equalized for the second time before the halftime whistle courtesy of an intelligent, well-placed finish from midfielder Ismael Saibari. While the second half saw a more conservative, tactical approach from both teams, Morocco's superior depth and technical endurance ultimately paid off in the final stretch of the encounter.
In the 78th minute, Soufiane Rahimi scored a magnificent goal on the turn from a flicked-on corner kick to put the Atlas Lions ahead for the first time in the match.
Gessime Yassine then sealed the victory in the dying minutes, slotting home his debut international goal for Morocco. The final goal triggered a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review to determine whether the ball had crossed the touchline during the build-up, but the goal was ultimately upheld.
With their second-place group finish confirmed, Morocco will now prepare to face the winners of Group F—which features a tight race between the Netherlands, Japan, and Sweden—in the opening phase of the single-elimination rounds.
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