The Round of 16 opened with two very different quarter-final tickets: Morocco ended Canada's home World Cup run 3-0, while France had to grind past Paraguay 1-0 to set up Morocco vs France next. 1 2
Morocco's burst came after halftime: Azzedine Ounahi scored in the 50th and 82nd minutes, then Soufiane Rahimi finished it at 90+8'. FIFA framed the result as Morocco becoming the first African nation to reach back-to-back World Cup quarter-finals. 1
France's win was tighter: Kylian Mbappe converted the decisive penalty, and ESPN's match centre listed France ahead on xG, 1.45 to 0.13. 3
The social pulse matched the contrast. ESPN FC highlighted Orlando Gill being named MOTM despite Paraguay's 1-0 loss and also noted Paraguay completed only 54% of their passes, while FIFA World Cup confirmed France's quarter-final place. 4 5 6
Canada's exit still carried a defiant quote: Jesse Marsch told ESPN FC, "I'd rather be us than them," after the loss to Morocco. 7
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