From Underdogs To Contenders: Morocco Shock USA In FIFA U-20 World Cup Q/final

From Underdogs To Contenders: Morocco Shock USA In FIFA U-20 World Cup Q/final

By Admin 

 Morocco’s U-20 men’s national team delivered a stunning 3-1 victory over the United States on Sunday night to reach the semifinals of the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, BSNSports.com.ng reports. 

The Atlas Lions defied the odds to book their place in the final four for just the second time in the nation’s history, their first since 2005.

Despite being outplayed in terms of possession and attempts on goal, the North Africans capitalized on key moments and American defensive errors to secure a famous win and set up a semifinal clash against the winner of the Norway vs France quarterfinal, scheduled later Sunday night.

Match Summary

Morocco opened the scoring in the 31st minute through right-back Fouad Zahouani, who finished a well-placed pass from Maama. The U.S. responded deep into first-half stoppage time, as Cole Campbell equalized from the penalty spot in the 6th minute of added time (45+6).

But the second half saw the tide turn in Morocco’s favor once again. U.S. defender Joshua Wynder who had earlier scored an own goal in a previous match against South Africa — inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in the 66th minute to hand Morocco a 2-1 lead.

Substitute Gessime Yassine, who had already impressed in Morocco’s earlier 2-0 win over Spain, sealed the result in the 87th minute, finishing off a clever assist from Boumassaoudi to make it 3-1.

Statistics Tell a Different Story

The final scoreline belied the dominance of the Americans in many statistical categories:

Shots: USA 14 – Morocco 7

Shots on Target: 3 each

Possession: USA 73% – Morocco 27%

Passes Completed: USA 573 – Morocco 215

Corner Kicks: USA 12 – Morocco 3

Despite those numbers, it was Morocco’s defensive organization and clinical finishing that made the difference on the night.

Wynder’s own goal capped a difficult campaign for the American defender, who also received a yellow card in added time following a VAR review (90+1').

Road to the Semifinals

The U.S. entered the tournament in red-hot form, scoring 16 goals en route to the quarterfinals, including a 9-1 demolition of debutants New Caledonia, a 3-0 win over France, and a dominant 3-0 display against Italy in the Round of 16.

In contrast, Morocco’s campaign had a rockier start, including a surprising 0-1 loss to Mexico in the group stage. However, they rebounded impressively by beating Brazil 2-1 and stunning Spain 2-0 in the knockout rounds before edging past South Korea 2-1 in the Round of 16.

This was only Morocco’s third appearance at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. They last reached the semifinals in 2005, finishing fourth after a narrow 2-1 defeat to Brazil in the bronze medal match.

The United States, on the other hand, were making their 18th appearance at the tournament, with their best finish being fourth place in 1989.

What’s Next?

Morocco now await the winner of France vs Norway, with the semifinal scheduled for Wednesday at 9 p.m. (Nigerian time) in Valparaíso, Chile. The other semifinal will see Argentina face Colombia, who shocked Spain earlier in the night, at midnight in Santiago.

Third-place match: Saturday at 8 p.m.

Final: Sunday at midnight (Nigerian time)