France and Morocco faced off this Wednesday in the semi-finals of the U20 World Cup, in a match between two teams with very contrasting backgrounds. Les Bleuets, beaten 3-0 by the United States in the group stage, then righted the ship until their victory against Norway in the quarter-finals (2-1), led by a brace from Saïmon Bouabré, since recalled by his club, Neom SC. For its part, Morocco has impressed so far with a nearly flawless run, including a victory against the same United States in the previous round. After a closely contested and intense match, where both teams created numerous opportunities and went as far as a penalty shootout, the Moroccan team won and thus validated its ticket to the final of this U20 World Cup (1-1, 5-4 on penalties). It will face the winner of the Argentina-Colombia match, scheduled for tonight.
Morocco writes its history
Following a fierce battle in midfield and some excellent work from Hossam Essadak, Morocco created the first chance of the game through Othmane Maamma, who curled a fine shot just inches wide of the French goalkeeper's net. Mayssam Benama responded a few seconds later: the Annecy player unleashed a sublime right-footed shot from 20 meters out, which was pushed out for a corner by Moroccan goalkeeper Yanis Benchaouch. A new feature tested by FIFA during this U20 World Cup, the green card allowed for a first VAR intervention, which resulted in a penalty awarded to the Moroccans after Andréa Le Borgne pulled Ismaël Baouf's shirt. Starting off on the right side, French goalkeeper Lisandru Olmeta touched the ball, which bounced off his back before ending up in the back of the net. Maximum success for Yassir Zabiri in the 32nd minute.
The next few minutes were very difficult for the French team. Mohamed Ouahbi's players could have made it two in the 40th minute, but Yassir Zabiri and Fouad Zahouani both inexplicably missed the target from close range after a good cross from the right—a symbol of Justin Bourgault's difficulties protecting his flank. Less deprived of the ball than against Japan, the Bleuets still created a few chances to equalize, particularly before the break: Lucas Michal almost took advantage of a poorly executed save, but Ismaïl Bakhti beat him to it (41st minute), while Ilane Touré stumbled upon the Moroccan goalkeeper after a nice cross in the heart of the box (45th + 1st minute).
The Bleuets were able to rebalance the match after the break
After the break, Bernard Diomède's substitutions proved more than worthwhile, revitalizing the Bleuets' wing play. Coming on for Andréa Le Borgne, it was Moustapha Dabo who set up the equalizer for serial goalscorer Lucas Michal. The number 13 managed to deliver a low cross for the Monegasque, who scored his fifth goal in the competition. Also playing for ASM, Yanis Benchaouch was too far away to stop this shot, unlike his 61st-minute exit, where he got in front of his teammate and prevented the Bleuets from turning the game around. The 19-year-old goalkeeper was injured in the action and had to give way to Ibrahim Gomis.
Spaces opened up as the minutes ticked by, as fatigue set in on both sides. Similar to his performance against Japan, Lisandru Olmeta saved his team by flying up to deny Othmane Maamma a last-ditch dangerous attempt just before extra time. The final minutes were marked by more aggression, to the detriment of quality play, as illustrated by this nasty foul by French captain Mayssam Benama on Gessime Yassine, which provoked an immediate reaction from the Moroccan players who came to surround the offender. The match became wilder than ever after Strasbourg's Rabby Nzingoula was sent off for two fouls and given two yellow cards just 20 minutes after coming on as a substitute. Othmane Maamma tried his luck again without success for Morocco (113th minute), before Djylian N'Guessan responded by shooting past Ismaël Baouf, after a first shot that was in the wind (118th minute). It was off to a penalty shootout that was largely controlled by both nations. Launched as a final trump card by the Moroccan coach, goalkeeper Abdelhakim El Mesbahi—who came on in place of Ibrahim Gomis—justified his decision by stopping Djylian N'Guessan's decisive effort. Thirteen years after the generation of Paul Pogba, Samuel Umtiti, and Alphonse Areola, the dream of winning the U20 World Cup ended for these Bleuets.
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