Morocco went into the Atlanta night needing a win to keep pace with Brazil at the top of Group C, and they got one, though it took them the better part of ninety minutes to make the scoreline convincing. A 4-2 victory over Haiti flatters Morocco slightly in terms of how the evening began, but the second half belonged to them completely, and the final margin of two goals does not lie about who the better team was.
The story of the first half is best understood as Haiti's finest forty-five minutes. An own goal from Bono on ten minutes gave Sebastien Migne's side the lead, Morocco's goalkeeper helpless as the ball crossed the line in difficult circumstances. Mohamed Ouahbi's team needed twenty-nine minutes to recover their composure and equalise, Achraf Hakimi doing so on 39 minutes with a goal that briefly suggested Morocco had wrestled back control of a match they had dominated in terms of possession. They had not. Wilson Isidor, assisted by Jean-Kevin Duverne on the right, put Haiti back in front on 43 minutes with a sharp, well-constructed move from a side that had surrendered 70 per cent of the ball and were happy to exploit the slim margins that came their way.
Then Ismael Saibari equalised in first-half stoppage time, Hakimi turning provider at the end of a frantic opening period that had produced four goals and few quiet moments. Morocco went into the break level at 2-2, having given up two goals from just five Haitian shots. The recovery, crucially, was already complete before half-time. What the second half provided was separation, not a comeback.
Haiti's expected goals figure of 0.52 tells the fuller story of where the game actually lived. They were compact, occasionally disciplined, and entirely reliant on Johny Placide, who made eight saves across the ninety-five minutes. Morocco, by contrast, mustered 22 shots and 11 on target, and eventually found the space Haiti had worked hard to deny them through the opening hour. Nine corner kicks to Haiti's none gives a further measure of the territorial imbalance.
Soufiane Rahimi settled matters on 78 minutes, set up by Chadi Riad, and Gessime Yassine added a fourth on 89 with Rahimi returning the favour as provider. Both goals came after the hour, and both came from substitutes brought on by Ouahbi at the same time. Morocco's bench contributions were not merely useful but decisive: Rahimi alone registered a goal and an assist in 25 minutes of football, the most impactful cameo of the evening.
Bilal El Khannouss was the standout performer on the pitch across the full ninety-five minutes, linking Morocco's midfield to their attack with consistency and quality. Sofyan Amrabat was characteristically solid alongside Neil El Aynaoui, and Morocco's 540 completed passes reflected a patience that eventually paid dividends once Haiti tired.
For Haiti, the defeat confirms a tournament they will exit without a single point. There were moments in this first half worth holding onto. They troubled Morocco more than the scoreline suggests, and for a spell of those opening forty-three minutes they genuinely threatened to cause problems. The gap in squad depth told in the end. The result pushes Morocco level with Brazil on four points, behind only on goal difference, and Group C remains unresolved heading into the final round of fixtures.