Impressive Morocco squad stands as next test for Korea's U-20 team in knockout round match

Korea will face Morocco in the round of 16 at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup on Thursday at Estadio El Teniente in Rancagua, Chile.

Morocco, a powerhouse from Africa, advanced early from Group C — dubbed the “group of death” — after defeating Spain 2-0 and Brazil 2-1. With their ticket to the knockout round already secured, Morocco then rotated its squad for its final group match against Mexico, which it lost 1-0.

The focal point of Morocco’s attack is winger Gessime Yassine, who delivered one goal and one assist against Spain and two assists against Brazil, earning back-to-back Man of the Match honors. Operating primarily as a right-winger, Yassine combines pace, dribbling and passing with a polished final touch.

Born in November 2005, the 19-year-old is already a regular starter for Dunkerque in France’s Ligue 2, where he logged three goals and two assists in 35 matches last season. Football portal Transfermarkt values him at 2 million euros ($2.3 million).

Yassir Zabiri, Morocco’s striker, is Yassine’s main partner up front. He scored in both matches against Spain and Brazil and converted a through ball from Yassine into a crucial goal that helped secure Morocco’s place in the knockouts. Zabiri joined Portuguese topflight club Famalicão in August and has made three appearances this season. He is Morocco’s most active shooter.

Morocco is also defensively solid — the back line shut out Spain and conceded just one goal to Brazil. Both of the goals that Morocco has allowed in the tournament, including the Brazil goal and one by Mexico, came from penalties. The team has yet to concede from open play.

The standout defender for Morocco is left wingback Ali Maamar of Belgian club Anderlecht. Born in Brussels, the 20-year-old once played for Belgium’s U-17 national team. Standing 1.82 meters tall (6 feet tall), Maamar has made seven appearances this season for Anderlecht.

Neither side has any players suspended for the match due to accumulated yellow cards.

Korea holds a slight historical edge over Morocco at the U-20 level, with three wins and one draw. The most recent encounter was a 1-1 draw during the EOU Cup U-18 International Tournament in Seoul in October 2023. Among Korea’s current squad, Baek Min-gyu, Son Seung-min and Chung Ma-ho were featured in that match, with Baek scoring the goal.

If Korea defeats Morocco, it will face the winner of the United States versus Italy match in the quarterfinals on Oct. 13.

Meanwhile, in Thursday’s round of 16 matches, Argentina crushed Nigeria 4-0, while Colombia beat South Africa 3-1. Japan, which advanced from the group stage with three straight wins, was eliminated by France in a 1-0 loss. Paraguay, which drew with Korea in the group stage, fell to Norway 1-0.

Three of the four quarterfinal matchups have been set: Spain versus Colombia, Mexico versus Argentina and Norway versus France. Should Korea advance to the semifinals, it would face the winner of the Norway-France match.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY LEE HAY-JUNE [[email protected]]

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