Great 6-5! The dark horse upset France and entered the World Youth Championship finals for the first time, but was defeated by Spain and Brazil.

In the early morning of October 16, after the first semi-final of the 2025 World Youth Championship, the traditional giant France U20 lost 5-6 in the penalty shootout and was eliminated by the super dark horse Morocco! When the final whistle blew, Morocco's young players collapsed to the ground, tears mixed with sweat flowing. The team reached the World Youth Championship final for the first time in history. African football once again made the strongest voice. This is a historical moment worth celebrating!

This is the sixth time in the history of France U20 that they have reached the semi-finals of the World Youth Championship. They have reached the top twice in 2013 and 2021. This year's group stage was bumpy and bumpy all the way to the top four: first, the third place with the best performance struggled to qualify. After entering the knockout rounds, France gradually showed its strength as a strong team, defeating Japan 1-0 in overtime in the 1/8 finals and narrowly beating Norway 2-1 in the quarter finals. Just when everyone thought France would easily crush its opponents and advance to the final. However, the super dark horse Morocco gave them a blow. They have passed five levels and defeated six players: they first defeated Spain and Brazil, and then eliminated the United States before entering the top four. They are full of gold.

After the game started, France took control of the situation as expected. The ball possession advantage is obvious, the rhythm is smooth, and they even almost dominate Morocco on the field. However, Morocco's defense was airtight. Goalkeeper Benshaouche attacked many times to resolve the danger. Morocco, which was slow to start, insisted on defensive counterattack. In the 29th minute of the game, during a high ball attack by Morocco, forward Baouf was dragged to the ground by the French defender in the penalty area. The referee looked back through VAR and awarded a penalty kick decisively! On the sidelines, the Moroccan coach pumped his fist excitedly, and the atmosphere in the audience was instantly ignited.

Yasser Zabi stepped forward to take the penalty. The ball hit the post and bounced off, but it bounced off the French goalkeeper and refracted into the net! 1-0! Luck is on Morocco's side.

Change sides and fight again, the French team strengthens its attack. In the 59th minute, midfielder Benama sent a through ball, Mustafa Dabo made a cross from the right, Luca Michel pushed the ball in front of the goal, and the French team evened the score to a 1-1 tie. After that, the two sides were in a stalemate. When the 90 minutes were over, the score was still 1-1 and it entered overtime.

At the beginning of overtime, France still pressed forward. But in the 107th minute, French midfielder Nzingula received a second yellow card for a pulling foul and was sent off! France had one less player to play, and the situation on the court suddenly changed. Morocco began to press forward boldly, but was never able to break through the opponent's goal. After 120 minutes, the score was still 1-1. The game entered a brutal penalty shootout.

The penalty shootout made Benshaush and defined this classic. Both sides made mistakes in the first four rounds, and the score was always close. In the sixth round, France's N'Guessan's penalty kick was saved by Benshaush! 6-5! Morocco defeated the French team in an upset and entered the World Youth Championship final for the first time in history. The whole team rushed into the field, the players hugged the goalkeeper and cried together, and the coach on the bench also had red eyes. By advancing to the final, regardless of whether Morocco can win the cup, they have become one of the most dazzling players in the history of the World Youth Championship.