The African team, having won the semi-final match against France (1:1, pen. 5:4), reached the final of the 2025 U-20 World Cup for the first time. The game ended in a penalty shootout after Morocco’s main and second goalkeepers failed to finish the match. An injury to Janis Benschaus in the second half forced the coaching staff to replace him with Ibrahim Gomis, and the third goalkeeper Hakim Mesbagi came on before the penalty shootout.
It was Mesbagy who became the hero of the match, parrying the shots of Gedi Beyuka and Julian Ngessan and bringing the team victory in the penalty shootout. Before that, the Moroccan national team beat the USA team (3:1) in the quarterfinals, and France advanced after defeating Norway (2:1).
The final of the Youth WC-2025 will take place on the night of October 20 at 02:00 Kyiv time. The opponent of Morocco will be the six-time champion of the tournament – the team of Argentina. Morocco became the first African team in the finals of the FIFA Youth World Cup in 16 years. The last time an African representative (Ghana) won the tournament was in 2009.
Source: sport.ua