SANTIAGO, Chile — In a remarkable display, Morocco’s third-string goalkeeper Abdelhakim El Mesbahi came off the bench late in extra time and made a pivotal save during the shootout, leading Morocco to a 5-4 victory over France in penalties on Wednesday and securing their spot in the Under-20 World Cup final for the first time.
The Moroccan team will face Argentina in the championship match on Sunday, following Mateo Silvetti’s solitary goal that propelled La Albiceleste’s U20 squad past Colombia in the semifinals.
The match saw French goalkeeper Lisandru Olmeta inadvertently score an own goal in the 32nd minute, putting Morocco ahead before midfielder Lucas Michel leveled the score for France in the 59th minute.
With the score tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation, Morocco’s coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, opted to bring in El Mesbahi for the penalty shootout.
El Mesbahi had prepared by studying headshots of the French players, which he printed on his water bottle, including a small visual guide indicating likely penalty kick placements.
This strategy paid off when El Mesbahi, who had not participated in any of Morocco’s earlier matches in the tournament, saved the decisive penalty from Djylian Nguessan, ensuring Morocco’s progression to the final.
During regulation, Morocco’s starting goalkeeper Yanis Benchaouch sustained an injury and was substituted by Ibrahim Gomis in the 64th minute, who was later replaced by El Mesbahi at the start of overtime.
Morocco emerged at the top of their group, defeating Spain and Brazil along the way, and also overcame South Korea and the United States to make it to the semifinals.
This marks the African nation’s best performance in the tournament, surpassing their previous fourth-place finish in 2005.
Information from The Associated Press was included in this story.