Santiago, Chile — Africa’s only surviving representative at the ongoing 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup, the Atlas Lions of Morocco, have advanced to the quarterfinals after a thrilling 2–1 victory over the Red Devils of South Korea in their Round of 16 clash played in the early hours of Friday (Nigerian time).
The tightly contested match at the Estadio La Granja in Curicó, Chile, saw Morocco dominate early proceedings, forcing South Korea into defensive errors. The North Africans took the lead in the 8th minute after Korean defender Shin Min-ha mistakenly turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Morocco’s attacking trio.
The Atlas Lions doubled their lead in the 58th minute through Yessir Zabir, who calmly finished off a well-timed assist from Maamana. Despite a late surge from the Asian champions, the Moroccans maintained control until a stoppage-time penalty converted by Tae-Woo Kim in the 90+6th minute reduced the deficit to 2–1.
Match Statistics Show Moroccan Efficiency
While South Korea enjoyed a slight edge in ball possession (53%–47%) and completed 433 passes compared to Morocco’s 400, it was the Atlas Lions’ defensive resilience that made the difference.
The Koreans registered 14 shots to Morocco’s 10, but the North Africans were more clinical and organized at the back completing 21 clearances, 13 interceptions, and 5 key blocks. South Korea also recorded 15 fouls and received two yellow cards, underlining their physical approach.
Historic Win for Africa’s Lone Hope
The victory marks a major milestone for Morocco, who are appearing at the U20 World Cup for the third time. Their best outing came in 2005, when they finished fourth after losing the bronze medal match to Brazil (1–2), following a semifinal defeat to Nigeria.
With this win, Morocco becomes the only African nation left in the 2025 edition, after Nigeria and South Africa were knocked out in the Round of 16, while Egypt’s Junior Pharaohs failed to progress from the group stage.
Quarterfinal Clash: Morocco vs USA
The Atlas Lions will now face the high-scoring United States U20 team in the quarterfinals on Sunday at 9 p.m. (Nigerian time) at Estadio El Teniente, Chile.
Elsewhere, Colombia will take on Spain in Saturday’s first quarterfinal, while Mexico face Argentina in Santiago. France will battle Norway in Sunday’s midnight showdown.
With Africa’s pride now resting solely on the shoulders of Morocco, fans across the continent will be watching to see if the Atlas Lions can continue their fairytale run and roar their way into the semifinals of the U20 World Cup Chile 2025.
