Gill and Paraguay hit Germany on penalties

The echo of Brazil 2014

The wound of the 2014 World Cup is still open. Just four minutes into the duel between the Netherlands and Morocco, the Monterrey Stadium erupted with a familiar scream.

“It wasn’t criminal! It wasn’t criminal! It wasn’t criminal!”

The chant made reference to Arjen Robben’s play in the round of 16 of Brazil 2014, an action that led to the elimination of Mexico. Thousands of fans joined in unison.

The surprise came when the Moroccan followers also joined in. For several seconds, the entire stadium chanted the same phrase, turning the memory into a collective protest against the Dutch team.

At minute 7, the choir returned with more force. For almost a minute, the “It wasn’t a penalty!” dominated the atmosphere, accompanied by boos towards the Netherlands as a whole.

In the run-up, a favorable environment for the Dutch was expected. However, the support changed completely. Even some fans in orange t-shirts joined in laughing.

The Dutch tried to respond with chants and the wave, but were unable to balance the support Morocco received. The traditional “Mexico, Mexico, Mexico” appeared from the stands along with the “oles.” Monterrey chose a side and, for one afternoon, the Netherlands played away from home in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.

The Moroccan team secured its place in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. It did so after beating the Netherlands 3-2 in the penalty shootout, after a 1-1 draw in regular time and overtime at the Monterrey stadium.

A match defined in the details

There were no goals during the first half. The physical intensity set the pace of the match. In the 72nd minute, Cody Gakpo opened the scoring for the Dutch. It seemed like victory for the Netherlands.

But in injury time, Issa Diop equalized in the 91st minute. It forced extra time. In the additional 30 minutes no one broke the tie. The key was defined from the eleven steps.

Morocco showed greater precision in the series. They won 3-2 and celebrated the classification.

What’s coming for Morocco

With this result, the African team advances to the next round. Their rival will be the Canadian team. The victory highlights the growth of Moroccan football and its ability to compete at the highest level.

At 67 years old and with more than three decades as technical director, Javier Aguirre is still in force. In his third stage at the head of the Mexican National Team, he achieved the best group stage for El Tri in a World Cup. Now, facing the round of 32 duel against Ecuador, he is clear that he does not want to repeat past mistakes.

Aguirre’s lessons

“I learned many things in those two games (the eliminations of 2002 and 2010), I was surely wrong, but it is important not to make the same mistake, that would be a double mistake; now is a different time, on a personal level even, and the big difference is our home field, that is like never before our great number 12 player,” he declared at a press conference.

“Vasco” highlighted the enthusiasm of the Mexican fans:

“We are aware that we have a country behind us and that motivates us a lot, so I would say that we are all very excited about what is coming.”

Aguirre has experienced four World Cup eliminations: as a player in Mexico 1986, as a technical assistant in the United States 1994, and as a coach in Korea-Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010. When asked what El Tri lacked to make history, he responded:

“The eliminations have always had a culprit, which is surely the coach. One could remember difficult eliminations and make 20 thousand stories to understand what was done wrong, but the victories belong to the players and the defeats to the coaches, and I include myself.”

He avoided seeking external explanations:

“Destiny, chance, arbitration, luck, that doesn’t matter to me. Both in 2002 and 2010 there were specific events that harmed us, but it is nothing more than an absurd justification after so much time.”

In this World Cup, the third to be played at home, Aguirre arrives with the scars of lost battles. Those that serve as fuel to want to change history.