Several Egyptian newspapers and online media outlets highlighted on Thursday the historic qualification of the Morocco U-20 national team to the final of the World Cup currently taking place in Chile, describing the achievement as “unprecedented” and praising the heroic performance of the Atlas Lions in the semifinal against France.
Youm7 newspaper reported that Morocco “made history” by reaching the final after defeating France in a thrilling penalty shootout (5-4), following a 1-1 draw in both regular and extra time, highlighting the team’s tactical discipline, high fighting spirit, and crucial saves by the goalkeeper.
Meanwhile, Al-Ahram Gate emphasized Morocco’s clear control over the match, with notable performance by goalkeeper Yanis Benchouch before being substituted, pointing out that Morocco became the third African team after Nigeria and Ghana to reach the U-20 World Cup final.
Akhbar Al-Youm portal also noted a unique event in the match, as Morocco used three goalkeepers in a single game for the first time in the tournament’s history.
Al-Masry Al-Youm described the thrilling victory over France as a “historic achievement,” confirming that the qualification came through a 5-4 penalty shootout, while Egypt Times hailed the Moroccan team as a “creator of glory,” noting that this victory served as revenge for the Morocco senior team’s semifinal loss to France at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
With this achievement, Morocco will face Argentina in the U-20 World Cup final, scheduled for Sunday–Monday night at the National Stadium in Santiago, while the third-place playoff between France and Colombia will take place on Saturday.
