AIPS ASIA News:

RANCAGUA, October 12, 2025 – In a modern era where ball possession has become an obsession, Morocco emerges as the rebel, breaking the mould with a vertical style of play in which, despite not having the ball, they have managed to dominate and defeat their rivals, thus qualifying for the semi-finals of the Chile 2025 U-20 World Cup.

During their last match against the United States in the quarter-finals of the youth tournament, the Atlas Lions once again proved that having the ball is not synonymous with winning. Despite the North American team having 74 percent ball possession, the African team, with only 26 percent, managed to prevail 3-1 with goals from Gessime Yassine, Fouad Zahouani, and an own goal by Joshua Wynder.

POSSESSION PER MATCH But this is not new. Throughout the entire championship, Morocco, under the command of their coach Mohamed Ouahbi, has repeated the strategy in each of their five matches. With a vertical and direct style of play, they have achieved four victories with a mere average of 35.6 percent possession, even defeating powerhouses like Brazil and Spain, and positioning themselves as the dark horse of the tournament.

· Matchday 1: Morocco 2-0 Spain (possession 28%)
· Matchday 2: Morocco 2-1 Brazil (possession 35%)
· Matchday 3: Morocco 0-1 Mexico (possession 42%)
· Round of 16: Morocco 2-1 South Korea (possession 47%)
· Quarter-finals: Morocco 3-1 USA (possession 26%)

LESS POSSESSION, MORE GOALS As shown in the statistics, the match against the United States was Morocco’s game with the lowest possession in the entire U-20 World Cup. But, at the same time, it was their victory with the most goals on the scoreboard.

Meanwhile, their only defeat came against Mexico, in the last group stage match. This was notable because the Atlas Lions went into this game without needing to win, as they had already secured qualification for the final stages as Group C winners. Furthermore, in this same game, the team registered its second-highest ball possession so far in the tournament, at 42 percent.

COACH’S WORDS Although the match against the United States presented a challenge in the first half, Mohamed Ouahbi highlighted the importance of his players returning to the style that has characterised them throughout the tournament to secure the victory.

“In the first half, we moved away a bit from our initial game plan. In the second half, we didn’t change anything tactically — we just got back to our principles: defending together, pushing forward as a unit. We knew that playing like that could cause them problems. After the break, the Americans stopped pressing us with the same intensity. On our side, we calmed the players down, looked for the right spaces, and it worked,” he said.

Now, next Wednesday, October 15, the Atlas Lions will try to continue making history when they play their match against France, seeking their first final in a U-20 World Cup — surpassing their best result, achieved in the Netherlands 2005 edition, when they also reached the semi-finals.

Courtesy AIPS Media