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Ounahi fires Morocco into World Cup quarterfinals with 3-0 win over Canada

Published

3 months ago

2026/07/5

Priyan

Morocco's Azzedine Ounahi celebrates scoring their first goal [Aljazeera]

Azzedine Ounahi scored twice to help fire Morocco to a 3-0 win over Canada in the World Cup Round of 16 as The Atlas Lions became the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals more than once.

It is Morocco’s second consecutive appearance in the last eight after becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals in 2022.

Canada dominated the opening stages but neither team was able to break through on Saturday until the Moroccans scored in the 50th minute. Ounahi received a free kick from Achraf Hakimi and fired a right-footed shot through traffic from outside the box into the bottom right corner.

Morocco's Azzedine Ounahi celebrates scoring their first goal — *Morocco’s Azzedine Ounahi celebrates scoring their first goal (Aljazeera)*

Ounahi made it 2-0 with a right-footed shot from the middle of the box after a pass from Brahim Díaz after a quick counterattack in the 82nd minute.

Soufiane Rahimi – who came on for injured forward Ismael Saibari after just 22 minutes – added the third in the final minute of stoppage time.

Morocco will face the winner of Saturday’s other tie – Paraguay vs France – in Boston on Thursday.

Canada’s loss ends a historic run for the World Cup cohosts, who won their first-ever knockout round match 1-0 against South Africa. The Canadians were playing in the World Cup for just the third time and their run enchanted a nation normally far more interested in hockey than football.

Morocco, ranked sixth in the FIFA rankings, dispatched the Netherlands in a penalty shootout to reach the Round of 16 and send the Dutch to their earliest World Cup exit.

It was an extremely physical match with eight yellow cards being issued. Both teams received four.

Canada had a couple of chances to score late. Jonathan David had a free kick from outside the box in the 78th minute, but his shot sailed over the crossbar.

Just after that, Tajon Buchanan’s shot from about 30 yards was stopped by a diving save from goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. He was born in Canada to Moroccan parents and made three saves to help Morocco secure their win.

This game was a rematch from the last World Cup in Qatar, when Morocco beat Canada 2-1 in the group stage to go on to finish fourth.

Morocco's Azzedine Ounahi scores their second goal — *Morocco’s Azzedine Ounahi scores their second goal (Aljazeera)*

**[Aljazeera]**

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Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and Southern provinces and in Anuradhapura district

Published

13 hours ago

2026/10/8

Priyan

WEATHER FORECAST FOR 08 OCTOBER 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 08 October 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

Misty conditions can be expected at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Galle and Matara districts during the early hours of the morning.

Showers or thundershowers will occur in the most part of the island after 1.00 p.m. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and Southern provinces and in Anuradhapura district.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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Former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa arrested by CIABOC

Published

1 day ago

2026/10/7

Priyan

Former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was produced before the Hulftsdorp court, after being arrested by officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and produce

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Smriti Mandhana appointed India captain across formats

Published

1 day ago

2026/10/7

Priyan

Smriti Mandhana looks on in the field [Cricinfo]

Smriti Mandhana has been named India’s all-format women’s captain on the same day Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from the role after nearly a decade since she first took over.

Mandhana – vice-captain to Harmanpreet for much of this period – has previously led India in four ODIs and 18 T20Is, apart from captaining Maharashtra in domestic cricket and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League.

Mandhana’s first assignment will be the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe beginning with the three T20Is in Raipur from October 16. On Tuesday, Mandhana was part of the selection meeting chaired by Amita Sharma to pick the squad for the tour.

Terming the appointment a “special honour”, Mandhana also acknowledged the contributions of her predecessor in her welcome note.

“I would also like to acknowledge Harmanpreet and the contribution she has made as captain over the years,” she was quoted as saying by the BCCI. “She has led the team with great commitment and has been an important part of our journey.

“I understand the responsibility that comes with this role and look forward to working with the team, learning along the way and giving my best to take Indian cricket forward.”

Mandhana’s appointment comes on the back of a review meeting held on Monday in Guwahati. Chaired by secretary Devajit Saikia, the meeting was also attended by Mandhana, Harmanpreet and head coach Amol Muzumdar to chart a roadmap forward, with an eye on next year’s inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in February as well as the T20 World Cup and Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Mandhana, India’s best all-format batter, has been knocking on the doors for a while. Earlier this year, she led RCB to their second WPL title, in which she also top-scored in the final.

In September, she overtook Mithali Raj to become the leading run-scorer in women’s international across formats. Her 18 international hundreds are also the most in women’s cricket. She is also the first Indian woman to score centuries in all formats.

[Cricinfo]