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Morocco made history, again, and advanced to the quarter finals of the U20 World Cup with a 2–1 win against South Korea in Rancagua, and are now the only African team remaining in the competition. The match was intense and physical but Morocco’s organisation and quality in the key moments made the difference.
From the start, the pace was set. South Korea almost scored in the 4th minute but Ismaël Baouf made a crucial block to deny a certain goal. That sparked Morocco into life. From then on, they pressed higher, moved the ball faster and attacked quicker through Maamma on the right and Yassini on the left while Korea pushed down their right flank.
The breakthrough came in the 8th minute. Maamma started the move, Yassir Zabiri tried an audacious bicycle kick and the ball deflected off Korea’s Shin Min-Ha into the net. It was an own goal but Morocco’s quick play had forced the error. From there, Morocco settled into their rhythm, were compact, efficient and quick to win the ball back.
Morocco hold off Korea to book quarterfinal clash with USA
Korea continued to threaten and had a penalty appeal in the 44th minute after contact between Gessime Yassine and a Korean forward but the referee waved it off.
Morocco doubled their lead in the 58th minute with a perfect cross from Maamma that found Zabiri, who finished beautifully to make it 2–0. Korea refused to give up and ended the game with 12 shots to Morocco’s 10 and put the defence under pressure.
In the 78th minute, Maamma and Zabiri, arguably the two best players tonight, were substituted to save energy for the next round. Morocco were closing out the game but the last few minutes brought some drama.
After a late Korean attack, the referee gave a penalty after a requested review from the coach, and this time they got it right. Tae-Won Kim scored to make it 2-1.
Next up is the quarter finals against the USA, the tournament’s top scorers, on October 12.
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