Is this the assist of the tournament? Achraf Hakimi curls an unbelievable pass down the length of the pitch to set up Youssef En-Nesyri for Morocco's second goal against Canada and seal place as group winners

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Achraf Hakimi has made what could be hailed as the assist of the 2022 World Cup with his audacious pass to set up Morocco's second in their win over Canada.

Hakimi gathered the ball on the left-hand side of play, in the middle of the Morocco half, before laying on a lengthy pass to the racing Youssef En-Nesyri, who latched onto the ball and fired it into the goal at the near post.

Morocco's 2-1 win, coupled with Croatia's goalless draw with Belgium, saw the north African side go through as the winners of Group F, and they will face Spain in the first knockout round after a dramatic evening in Group E.  

Achraf Hakimi's lengthy pass has been hailed as one of the best assists of the World Cup so far

Youssef En-Nesyri (R) was quick to thank Hakimi for the exceptional pass which made his goal

Hakimi's prior performances have led to Paris Saint-Germain signing him in 2021 for a reported fee of €60million (£51.42m). 

He has also left his mark on the international stage with that pass, and the 24-year-old Spanish-born right-back found a new legion of supporters on Twitter. 

One fan wrote: 'A forwards dream a pass like that from your full back', a second added: 'Hakimi with a perfect assist', while another just added: 'wow'. 

Hakimi's assist has been widely praised on Twitter for his long-range accuracy to set up winner

'That Hakimi assist is a thing of beauty,' one Twitter user wrote about Hakimi's long-range pass, while another called it 'insane'. Either way, it has been hailed as one of the moments of the tournament, especially from the perspective of setting up goals.

It turned out to be even more crucial than anyone could have foreseen, being the winner which took Morocco top of their group, after Belgium and Croatia drew, eliminating the fractured Red Devils at the group stage. 

Morocco will now face the Group E runners-up Spain on Tuesday, Hakimi's birth country.

The distant pass by Hakimi has been called 'a thing of beauty', but also described as 'insane'

Hakimi was born to Moroccan parents in Madrid, and represented their country through the youth levels, before making his senior debut as a 17-year-old in 2016.

He was selected for Morocco's squad four years ago in Russia, and has scored eight goals for his national side, most recently in March of this year against DR Congo.

Morocco went ahead against Canada inside four minutes when Hakim Ziyech capitalised on a goalkeeping error. En-Nesyri's goal came midway through the first-half, before Nayef Aguerd's own goal halved the deficit before half-time.

Whilst Canada continued valiantly to secure a point, they were unable to get a second goal, while the group's other fixture remained goalless to send Morocco through top, despite having to face 2018 finalists Croatia and third-placed team Belgium in their opening three matches.  

Group F victors Morocco will face the runners-up of Group E Spain in the knockout phase