Morocco 4–2 Haiti: Hakimi, Saibari strikes turn it around as Atlas Lions seal Group C top-two spot

Morocco needed a response, and they delivered one in style. Stung by an early own goal and pegged back again before the interval, the Atlas Lions still found four answers to beat Haiti 4–2 in their final Group C fixture, a result that lifts them to seven points and confirms a place in the knockout rounds. It was not the controlled, comfortable evening many expected, but it was an emphatic one all the same — and a reminder that this Morocco side can hurt opponents from almost anywhere on the pitch.

A chaotic opening Morocco did not see coming

The story of the night was written early, and not the way the favourites would have scripted it. With barely ten minutes on the clock, Morocco fell behind in the cruellest fashion possible: goalkeeper Yassine Bounou turned the ball into his own net to gift Haiti the lead. For a team chasing a top-two finish, conceding an own goal so early against the group's bottom side was exactly the kind of jolt that can unsettle a campaign.

To their credit, Haiti did not simply sit on the surprise. They carried a genuine threat on the break, and they doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time's approach when Emmanuel Isidor struck in the 43rd minute. The Sunderland forward, with just a handful of caps to his name, has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise punishing tournament for Haiti, and his finish briefly threatened to author the upset of the group stage. At that moment Morocco were 2–1 down and staring at an uncomfortable reckoning.

The fact that the scoreline read 2–1 rather than 2–0 owed everything to Achraf Hakimi. Morocco's captain and talisman from right-back hauled his side back into the contest in the 39th minute, four minutes before Isidor's strike, finishing off a move to make it 1–1 and steady nerves that had been fraying since the opening exchanges. It was Hakimi's first goal of this World Cup, and the timing could hardly have been more important.

Saibari's flash of quality before the break

If Hakimi's goal kept Morocco in the game, the equaliser that mattered most arrived right on the whistle. Deep into first-half stoppage time — the 45th minute — Ismael Saibari levelled the tie at 2–2, sending the sides in level at the interval and completely reframing the contest. After Isidor had nudged Haiti back ahead, the PSV Eindhoven midfielder's strike meant Morocco walked off having clawed back a two-goal deficit inside one breathless half.

It was a hugely significant goal for Saibari personally. He now has three goals at this World Cup, making him Morocco's standout attacking contributor of the tournament so far, and his knack for arriving in the box at the right moment has become a defining feature of their play. Crucially, his equaliser shifted all the pressure back onto Haiti, who had spent their energy and their lead and now faced 45 minutes against a side with momentum and a point to prove.

Morocco take control after the restart

The second half belonged to Morocco. Level at 2–2, they did not chase the game recklessly so much as squeeze it, gradually wresting control and waiting for the moment Haiti's resistance cracked. It duly arrived in the 78th minute through Soufiane Rahimi. The Al Ain forward, a late-blooming international at 30, tucked away his side's third to put Morocco ahead for the first time in the match — a lead they would not relinquish.

From there the Atlas Lions managed the closing stages with the assurance of a team that knew what was at stake. The fourth, when it came, had a fitting feel of the future about it. In the 89th minute Yassine — at 20 the youngest of Morocco's scorers and with only five caps to his name — capped the comeback with a goal that put the result beyond doubt and underlined the strength in depth this squad carries. For the Strasbourg midfielder it was a first senior international goal, and few will be more memorable.

The numbers behind the comeback

• 10' — Bounou (own goal): Morocco's goalkeeper turns the ball in to hand Haiti a shock lead.
• 39' — Hakimi (Morocco): the captain pulls one back; his first goal of this World Cup. 1–1.
• 43' — Isidor (Haiti): the Sunderland man restores Haiti's advantage. 2–1.
• 45' — Saibari (Morocco): a stoppage-time leveller and his third of the tournament. 2–2 at the break.
• 78' — Rahimi (Morocco): Morocco lead for the first time. 3–2.
• 89' — Yassine (Morocco): the 20-year-old seals it for a final 4–2.

Four different scorers for Morocco — a defender, two midfielders and a forward — speaks to exactly why they have been so awkward to play against. When the goals are spread across the team rather than funnelled through one star, opponents have no single threat to smother. Hakimi bombing forward from full-back, Saibari ghosting into the area, Rahimi's poacher's instinct and Yassine's fearless cameo all came together on a night when the supply lines kept producing.

What it means for the Group C table

The win moves Morocco to seven points from their three games (two wins, one draw, no defeats), with six goals scored and three conceded for a goal difference of plus three. That leaves them level on points with group leaders Brazil, who also have seven — but Brazil's superior goal difference of plus six keeps the Seleção top of the pile, with Morocco second. Both sides have done enough to advance; the order at the summit was settled by goals, not points.

Behind them, Scotland finish third on three points, while Haiti end their campaign rooted to the bottom of Group C with zero points from three matches, two goals scored and eight conceded. For all the spirit they showed in racing into a two-goal lead here, the margins of their tournament — three defeats, including a 0–3 loss away to Brazil — tell the harsher story.

Our prediction: an honest verdict

Time to mark our own card. Ahead of kick-off we tipped Morocco −1.5 at a confidence of 77, reasoning that the Atlas Lions edged the quality even if Haiti's organisation might travel and frustrate. The final 4–2 margin means Morocco won by two clear goals, comfortably covering the handicap.

Verdict: HIT. We will take the result, but honesty demands we acknowledge the process was anything but smooth. Our note warned of a "tight one" — and for the best part of an hour it was exactly that, with Morocco two goals down and the line looking a long way off. Had the game finished 2–2, or even 3–2, the tip would have missed despite a Morocco win. The two-goal cushion only arrived with Yassine's 89th-minute strike. A win is a win on the scorecard, but we are not going to pretend we sat comfortably while it played out.

What's next for both teams

For Morocco, qualification is the headline and the reward is a knockout tie to come. Their group run reads as a draw away to Brazil (1–1), a hard-earned win away to Scotland (1–0) and now this 4–2 win over Haiti — an unbeaten campaign built on resilience as much as flair. The challenge now is to iron out the early lapses that nearly cost them here; the defensive switch-off that led to the own goal and Isidor's strike will not be forgiven so readily once the single-elimination football begins.

For Haiti, the tournament ends here. Their three group games — a 0–1 defeat to Scotland, a 0–3 loss away to Brazil and this 2–4 result away to Morocco — produced no points, but tonight at least offered a glimpse of what might have been. To lead one of the group's strongest sides by two goals, even briefly, is something to build on. Isidor's emergence as a genuine international forward and the fight shown in that first-half blitz are threads worth carrying into the next cycle, even if the final ledger makes for sober reading.

Morocco, then, march on — second in Group C, level with Brazil on points, and through to the knockouts with their attacking variety intact. The early scare will sting in the analysis. The four goals, and the qualification they secured, will linger far longer.