Astonishment at Ismaël Saibari's World Cup Goal: 'Normally, That Shouldn't Even Be Possible'

Ismael Saibari has already showcased his immense value for PSV in the Eredivisie, and now he's doing it on the world stage, scoring in two consecutive matches. He netted a stunning opener against Brazil and immediately found the back of the net against Scotland, scoring just 68 seconds into the game as the Moroccan attacking midfielder continued his impressive run.

The goal left the pundits speechless. "That shot was powerful," remarked Robert Maaskant, clearly astonished. Ali Boussaboun was equally impressed: "Right into the top corner. What I loved about the replay was seeing his awareness. He first checked to his left to see if a teammate was in a better position, and only then did he unleash a merciless shot into the goal," he enthused.

This kind of goal-scoring is a hallmark of Saibari's game. It's not a one-off, as Maaskant pointed out. "He scores these goals often. We've seen them in the Eredivisie too. He'll cut in from the right flank into the penalty area and then, from about eight yards out, he'll fire the ball ruthlessly into the net. Normally, that shouldn't even be possible."

"What's remarkable is that the Scotland national coach spoke extensively about Saibari, discussing how his team needed to defend him," Boussaboun noted. "He emphasized the importance of being sharp to anticipate when Saibari would drop deep to create space, and when he would receive the ball. It's the same with his runs in behind. At the very first opportunity, he exploits the space and scores."

This is precisely what Seuntjens, a striker himself, observes about the attacking midfielder. "He's developing so well. He makes deep runs with a sprint. But when he touches and carries the ball, he barely loses any speed. That's incredibly impressive."

Saibari has now scored two goals at the World Cup, against Brazil and Scotland. Both goals came from through balls, but the finish for one was even more spectacular than the other. For Boussaboun, there's no doubt: the goal against Scotland was the most beautiful. "He initiated the move himself to drop deep and then make a run. The degree of difficulty was much higher for this goal. And I want to emphasize his awareness again. I find that so important, because you see that others in the Moroccan team don't possess that," he concluded.

Morocco is now virtually through to the knockout stages and could potentially face the Dutch national team next. However, that will also depend entirely on the form of the Oranje. The Dutch national team plays Sweden on Saturday evening at 7:00 PM Dutch time.

In the new episode of the daily Sportnieuws.nl World Cup football podcast, Robert Maaskant, Ralf Seuntjens, and Ali Boussaboun discuss the latest World Cup news. They talk about Ismael Saibari's incredible goal for Morocco, the worrying news about Frenkie de Jong, and discuss the first red card for covering one's mouth while speaking.

Furthermore, they preview the Netherlands-Sweden match and get excited about the upcoming 'Oranje March'. All this and much more can be found in the Sportnieuws.nl World Cup football podcast, available every morning from 7:30 AM in your favorite podcast app.