U20 World Cup: here's how Morocco beat France!

15.10.25 AP World Cup U-20

Morocco U20

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France U20

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The French dream was shattered on the brink of the final. On Wednesday night, France was knocked out by Morocco in the U20 World Cup semi-finals after a nerve-wracking penalty shootout. The hero of the evening, Abdelhakim Mesbahi, Morocco's third-choice goalkeeper, denied Djylian N’Guessan’s final attempt and delivered a historic qualification for his country.

This electrifying match saw Morocco’s head coach Mohamed Ouahbi pull off a tactical masterstroke. After losing his starting goalkeeper Yanis Benchaouch to injury despite a heroic first half, he first called on regular backup Ibrahim Gomis. Then, in the dying moments of extra time, he made a daring move by bringing on his third-choice keeper for the decisive shootout. A bold and ultimately rewarding decision—a symbol of Morocco’s determination to make history.

"I'm quite emotional because this is a historic moment, but we want to win the final. We'll quickly calm down because what we really want is to lift the trophy," Ouahbi reacted after the match.

Heading to their first-ever World Cup final in this age group, Morocco is now determined to turn their dream into reality.

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Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

Related teams and leagues

Morocco U20

France U20

World Cup U-20