Morocco's U20 national football team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the FIFA U20 World Cup, taking place in Chile, after defeating South Korea 2–1 (1–0 at halftime) on Friday in Rancagua. The Moroccan side began the tournament (Group C) with a strong run, beating Spain 2–0 and Brazil 2–1, before losing a meaningless final group match against Mexico 0–1. South Korea, for its part, finished third in Group B after losing to Ukraine (1–2), drawing 0–0 with Paraguay, and defeating Panama 2–1. After heavily rotating his lineup against Mexico, Morocco's head coach Mohamed Ouahbi reverted to his starting eleven for this decisive clash, which began at a high tempo from both teams. Barely a minute in, captain Othmane Maâma nearly opened the scoring after a defensive error by the Koreans, but the Asian goalkeeper pulled off a miraculous save. Moments later, in the 4th minute, striker Kim Tae-won led a quick counterattack that nearly gave Korea the lead, but Ismaïl Baouf made a goal-line clearance to keep Morocco safe. In the 8th minute, the Atlas Cubs broke through. Maâma slipped through on the right and took a shot that was blocked, but Yassine Jessim picked up the rebound and found Yasser Ezzabiri, who executed a stunning overhead kick that deflected off Shin Min-ha and into the net for an own goal. Despite conceding, the Koreans stuck to their counterattacking strategy, relying on their speed, while Morocco pressed forward looking to double their advantage through Maâma and Ezzabiri. The rest of the first half was largely fought in midfield, with both teams wasting opportunities until the halftime whistle. In the second half, the Koreans came out eager to turn things around, but faced a determined and tightly organized Moroccan side fighting for every ball and focused on securing a place in the quarterfinals. Though the second period began at a slower pace, Morocco struck again in the 58th minute. Following excellent work from Maâma on the right wing, he crossed perfectly for Ezzabiri, who powered a header past the Korean keeper to make it 2–0. South Korea had a golden chance to reduce the deficit in the dying minutes, but Moroccan goalkeeper Yanis Benchaouch produced a brilliant save to preserve the lead. In stoppage time, Korea earned a penalty, which Kim Tae-won converted in the 90+6 minute. Morocco will face the United States in the quarterfinals next Sunday in Rancagua, after the Americans defeated Italy 3–0 earlier in the day. The Moroccan team, the only remaining Arab and African representative in the competition, now stands just one step away from replicating its 2005 feat, when it reached the semifinals of the World Cup held in the Netherlands.
