As Morocco reached the U-20 World Cup final for the first time in its history, the Atlas Cubs have have earned praise from French media after edging out France on Wednesday night in Valparaíso, Chile.
“Morocco will play its first-ever U-20 World Cup final and could become the 14th nation to etch its name in the competition’s history,” wrote the sports newspaper L’Équipe.
Despite the Atlas Cubs’ determination, the French Bleuets believed until the end but eventually lost in a penalty shootout against Moroccan goalkeeper Abdelhakim Mesbahi, who had entered just before extra time ended, notes the article’s author.
“The players’ performance and their coach Mohamed Ouahbi’s inspiration allowed the Atlas Cubs to face Argentina in the final,” the article notes, adding that, three years after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Argentina’s U-20 team will now face Morocco instead of France for the title.
Meanwhile, Le Figaro refers to a “cruel setback” for the French team, forced to play catch-up. The paper emphasizes that Morocco “finally got its revenge” for the 2022 World Cup semi-final loss to Didier Deschamps’ side.
The newspaper also praises Mohamed Ouahbi, Morocco’s national coach, for a tactical decision that turned out to be “brilliant”: bringing in his third-choice goalkeeper just before the end of extra time (1-1).
Le Monde reported that the French U-20 team “lost its hope of becoming world champions” after their defeat to Morocco in the semi-finals in Valparaíso (Chile).
The paper recalls that Bernard Diomède’s players, the 1998 World Cup winner with France, lost on penalties (5-4), coming up against Morocco’s third-choice goalkeeper, brought in specifically for the decisive shootout.
“No final for the Bleuets,” headlines Ouest-France , noting that after their victory, the Atlas Cubs continue their journey in the tournament and now dream of a world title, which would be the first in Moroccan football history.
For Footmercato, Morocco impressed with an “almost flawless” campaign, noting that the Atlas Cubs won a hard-fought match rich in intensity, thus earning their ticket to the final against Argentina.
In an article titled “Morocco Writes its History,” the news site underscores that the Kingdom has secured its first-ever World Cup final, highlighting that for France, the dream of winning a second title, thirteen years after the generation of Paul Pogba, Samuel Umtiti, and Alphonse Aréola, ends here.
For 20Minutes , “the dream of the young French players ended in Chile with Stéphanois Djylian N’Guessan’s shot, brilliantly saved by Abdelhakim Mesbahi, who had noted his opponents’ shooting habits on the traditional tips attached to his water bottle,” wrote the article’s author.
CNEWS.FR also highlighted “Morocco’s incredible performance”, noting that the Atlas Cubs played all three of their registered goalkeepers during the match—a first in history. The article recalled that Morocco eliminated France after a penalty shootout (1-1, 5-4) in which the third-choice goalkeeper played, a never-before-seen tactic.
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