Forty five minutes of polite nothing, then a masterclass. Morocco spent the first half treating a World Cup last sixteen tie like a warm-up jog, all sideways passing and no urgency, before someone clearly reminded them in the dressing room that the winner books a quarterfinal and the loser flies home. The Atlas Lions came out for the second half like an entirely different team.

Azzedine Ounahi did the damage twice, the first teed up by Achraf Hakimi from a free kick, the second a cool finish once the game was already safe. Brahim Diaz added a slice of history with his fourth World Cup assist, a new African record, setting up Rahimi to make it three in stoppage time. Clinical when it counted, invisible when it did not.

For a neutral, this was a match that only earned its ticket price after the interval. Efficient, ruthless, professional, sure. Thrilling, not really. Morocco did exactly what a good side does to an overmatched opponent: waited, then pounced. Just do not ask anyone to sit through that first half again.