Marsch: Canada played better than Morocco despite 3-0 defeat

Canada’s World Cup journey ended in the Round of 16 with a 3-0 loss to Morocco in Houston, but head coach Jesse Marsch insisted his side was the better team on the pitch. Azzedine Ounahi scored twice and Soufiane Rahimi added a late third, but Canada created the better chances in the first half. Jonathan David and Tani Oluwaseyi both came close to breaking the deadlock before Ounahi struck early in the second half. “What a privilege for our fans to support a team that plays with courage, doesn’t sit back, and shows it can be better. We were dominant in the first half. Morocco bent but didn’t break. If we had scored first, the result could have been completely different. I couldn’t be more proud of my players,” Marsch said. Morocco boss Walid Regragui wasn’t impressed by Marsch’s assessment. “It takes some boldness to say that when you lose 3-0. We were better in the second half,” he replied. Despite the defeat, reaching the knockout stage marks Canada’s best-ever World Cup performance. The nation had previously failed to advance past the group stage in 1986 and 2022.