"VAN" (Sports Desk - 12.10.2025) :: “Fortunately, we scored early,” exhaled coach Mohamed Ouahbi after the final whistle following the win against South Korea. His words carried more than relief — they carried history. Because for Morocco, reaching the knockout stage of a U-20 World Cup hadn’t happened in twenty years.
On the sidelines, Othman Maamma smiled. He’s the player everyone is talking about now — the one who keeps lighting up Morocco’s matches with his talent and calm confidence.
“Against the United States in the quarterfinals, I really, really, really hope we win,” he said with a grin — the kind that hides excitement, belief, and hope.
THE GHOST OF 2005 To understand what this qualification means — to feel the weight behind Maamma’s “really, really, really” and coach Ouahbi’s “fortunately” — you have to rewind twenty years, to 2005, in the Netherlands.
That year, Abdessalam Benjelloun and the Lionceaux wrote one of Morocco’s most memorable runs: second place in Group C, a win over Japan in the Round of 16, another over Italy in the quarterfinals, before falling to fellow African side Nigeria in the semi-finals.
There was still a chance to bring home bronze, but Renato Ribeiro’s Brazil denied them, 2–1. In 1997, Morocco had already bowed out in the Round of 16. In 2005, they came so close — and since then, silence. Morocco hadn’t returned to the U-20 World Cup stage again.
NEW GENERATION, NEW STORY Then came Chile, 2025. Back in Group C, this time with different intentions. Even before the tournament began, Ouahbi’s message to his players was clear: “Write your own story.”
When asked about 2005, he didn’t hesitate: “The idea is that they write their story — their own — without looking back.”
And indeed, watching this team play, you can see it. This Morocco doesn’t live in the shadow of the past. They play with flair — technical, fast, and fearless.
Twice in this tournament, that flair has shone through: bicycle kicks that forced defenders into mistakes, moments of pure instinct and identity — a way of playing that says everything about who they are trying to become.
“We will remember this, even ten years from now,” smiled Gessime Yassine, one of the team’s young gems, after the win against the Koreans.
And maybe he’s right. Because sometimes football isn’t just about winning — it’s about reclaiming a story that once slipped away. Twenty years ago, Morocco dreamed of glory. Now, under the Chilean spring sun, that dream feels closer — alive again.
After all, France lifted the World Cup in 2018, exactly twenty years after Zidane’s triumph in 1998 — a reminder that time often gives football new chances to shine.
Cr - AIPS
Responses
Leave your comment