The knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup are now underway, and fans were treated to a battle of two giants on Monday, as Morocco and Netherlands, ranked sixth and seventh respectively according to FIFA, locked horns in Monterrey.
With both teams boasting solid backlines and looking to control the game through the midfield, the first half went as most would have expected.
Both sides spent most of the first 45 probing each other, and no guilt-edged chances of note were created.
In the second half, things opened up a little more, and Morocco began taking control of proceedings, while Dutch had to make do with sitting back in a defensive shape for large stretches of the game.
The Moroccans did create a few good chances as well, with captain Achraf Hakimi striking the crossbar with their most notable opportunity.
Shortly after the second hydration break, however, the Netherlands broke the deadlock.
Newly introduced Wout Weghorst made an impact with his aerial presence, winning a header at the halfway line to release the pacy Crysencio Summerville, who set up Cody Gakpo for what looked like the match winner.
Just as it looked like Ronald Koeman’s troops had sealed their spot in the Round of 16, however, the Moroccans found a hugely important last-gasp goal through an unlikely source, as centre back Issa Diop sent a close-range bullet header past Bart Vebruggen to take the game to extra time.
After another cagey 30 minutes, the game went to penalties. What followed was a crazy shootout that shaw five penalties missed, before Ismael Saibari ultimately sent the Atlas Lions through with probably the best penalty of the night.
On the Dutch side, Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber and Crysencio Summerville were the three players that failed to convert from the spot.
Safe to say, the Dutch trio lit up social media with their failures.
But soon tweets started popping up comparing them to Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho. The post has since gone viral, accumulating over 17,000 likes and 1,200 reposts.
Timber Kluivert Summerville pic.twitter.com/rtbIslgL4S
— ™ 🇵🇹🇧🇷 (@UTDFrost2) June 30, 2026
While many might be confused why Kluivert, Timber and Summerville are being compared to Saka, Rashford and Sancho, the joke is a reference to the Euro 2020 final.
Facing off against Italy at Wembley Stadium, England were slight favourites to come out on top considering they had home advantage. They even took the lead thanks to a Luke Shaw volley.
However, just like Morocco did on Monday, the Italians fought back with a goal from one of their defenders, Leonardo Bonucci, to take the game all the way to penalties.
Rashford, Sancho and Saka were the three English players that missed penalties on that fateful day, allowing the Italians to win 3-2.
In addition to this, there is a possibility that there is a racial connotation to the comparison, as all both the English and Dutch trios have similar skin colours.
In the aftermath of the Euro 2020 final, Rashford, Sancho and Saka were subjected to severe online racist abuse, the kind we definitely hope that these 3 Dutch players avoid.
A mural featuring the three England stars in Manchester was also vandalised with racist graffiti.
In a heartwarming gesture of solidarity, locals and fans proceeded to cover the vandalism with bin bags, leaving hundreds of supportive messages. The original artwork has since been fully restored.
To this day, England are still waiting to win their first European Championship. Similarly, the Netherlands will have to wait at least four more years for their first World Cup triumph.
