Morocco edge past South Korea to reach U-20 World Cup quarter-finals
Morocco booked their place in the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025™ quarter-finals after a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Korea Republic in Rancagua on Thursday night, thanks to goals from Yassir Zabiri and an early own goal.
The win means the Atlas Cubs will face the USA in the quarter-finals on Sunday, as they continue their impressive run in South America.
Early breakthrough sets tone
The Koreans almost struck first when Kim Taewon’s powerful drive was cleared off the line by Ismael Baouf just three minutes in.
But Morocco responded immediately and were rewarded soon after.
An acrobatic effort from Yassir Zabiri, which looked to be heading wide, was diverted into his own net by Shin Minha, giving the North Africans an early advantage.
Morocco maintained control for much of the half, combining defensive discipline with quick attacking transitions that kept the Koreans under pressure.
Zabiri seals it as Morocco march on
The decisive moment came just before the hour mark. Winger Othmane Maamma—electric throughout the game—delivered a precise cross from the right flank that found Zabiri, who rose highest to head home Morocco’s second.
Although Korea pulled one back through Kim Taewon’s late penalty deep into stoppage time, it proved no more than a consolation as Mohamed Ouahbi’s side held on to secure their passage to the last eight.
Maamma: “We have to keep going”
Speaking after the match, forward Othmane Maamma praised his team’s resilience and called for continued focus.
“It was a tough match. I’m happy that the team and the staff were able to bounce back from that defeat against Mexico,” said Maamma.
“Now, I’m going to focus on the next match. You have to always think about that in your head and keep going until the end. We have to focus on training, see what we did well today, and we’ll see how far we can go.”
Stat
Morocco have now beaten an AFC nation at each of the last three editions of this tournament — Japan at Netherlands 2005, Malaysia in 1997, and now Korea Republic in Chile 2025.