Luis Enrique has already approved next Manchester City signing after latest World Cup heroics

“Madre mia,” said a spellbound Luis Enrique. “Where did this kid come from? He can really play. He surprised me.”

Azzedine Ounahi has lost his element of surprise over the past four years, but his pure technical ability, remarkable engine and unerring if curiously specific ability to shine in World Cup last-16 ties remains the same.

Spain could not shake him in Qatar, and Canada were ultimately no match for him in Houston as Morocco underlined their genuine elite status with a second successive quarter-final berth – a historic first for an African nation.

It was not straightforward. Canada were the better side in a coarse first half which featured more bookings than shots, with Morocco’s advantage on the ball entirely nullified by the superior work of Jesse Marsch’s Red Bull-charged side off it.

The former Leeds coach described preparation for this game as “like a gory, horrible nightmare,” saying: “I don’t want to watch them play – they’re too good! Everyone’s gonna write us off.”

But his players paid no such overawed respect on the pitch. Morocco were forced into mistakes, rushed on the ball, given no time to think in a difficult first half.

“We’ve outrun every opponent,” Marsch added, “and knowing that Morocco put in 120 minutes? We can be fresher and fitter. They’re a good ball-playing team, so it’s just about being ready and intelligent.”

It was the perfect game plan, just narrowly missing that final touch. Jonathan David and Tani Oluwayesi should perhaps both have done better with their opportunities and it took Morocco until the half-hour mark until they had their first shot.

That coming from substitute Soufiane Rahimi, on for the injured star of their tournament so far in Ismael Saibari, summed up the general momentum to that point.

But the suspicion always lingered that Canada would regret not taking at least one of their chances. They had twice the amount of shots as Morocco, but half the composure, accuracy and quality of Ounahi alone.

A caressed finish into the bottom corner from Achraf Hakimi’s clever free-kick cut-back, followed by an emphatic strike into the top corner from an incisive Brahim Diaz-led counter-attack, ended this as a meaningful contest long before Rahimi’s well-taken stoppage-time clincher.

For Canada, it was a chastening lesson in efficiency and ruthlessness. Their set-piece wastefulness was particularly glaring – 11 corners which came to nothing and free-kicks in promising areas squandered – and Morocco exposed that with their clever routine for the first goal.

The Atlas Lions move on to face either Germany slayers Paraguay or France, who stopped their glorious run at the 2022 World Cup in the semi-finals.

Morocco would not mind a shot at revenge; Ounahi himself might embrace the individual redemption of proving former club Marseille, who bought his last post-World Cup stock but could not properly harness his brilliance, were the problem all along.

The Ligue Un side sold him for a pittance last summer to Girona, whose La Liga relegation has prompted inevitable speculation of a move up the CFG ladder to Manchester City.

With a €20m release clause and most of their midfield budget presumably already blown on Elliot Anderson, it could be a phenomenal move. Luis Enrique and now Canada can vouch for that.