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Morocco's under-20 national team has made history by advancing to the FIFA U-20 World Cup semi-finals, following a decisive 3-1 victory over the United States in their quarter-final clash at Estadio El Teniente in Chile on Sunday evening.
The Moroccan squad took the lead in the 31st minute with a goal from Yassir Zabiri, set up by Othmane Maamma. The Americans managed to equalize just before halftime, with Cole Campbell converting a penalty in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time.
Morocco regained the advantage in the 67th minute when Josh Wynder inadvertently deflected a Moroccan shot into his own net. The win was sealed in the 87th minute as Gessime Yassine capitalized on a defensive mix-up between the American defense and their goalkeeper, securing the 3-1 result.
This achievement marks the first time Morocco's youth team has reached the semi-finals of the World Cup at this level, echoing the senior national team's historic run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where they were the first Arab and African nation to make it to the final four.
Morocco's impressive tournament journey began with a 2-0 victory over Spain, followed by a 2-1 win against Brazil. Despite a narrow 1-0 loss to Mexico in the group stage, they bounced back to defeat South Korea 2-1 in the round of 16.
In the semi-final, Morocco will face the winner of the last quarter-final match between Norway and France. Interestingly, the senior team faced France at the same stage in Qatar, where they were defeated 2-0. The semi-finals are scheduled for Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, with the final slated for Monday, October 20.
