Morocco Faces Mali in U17 World Cup Quarter-Final Showdown

The Atlas Cubs are determined to beat the Eagles to secure their ticket to the semi-finals of the U-17 World Cup. A stage of the competition they have never reached before. Their elders who reached the last four of a World Cup for the first time are a source of inspiration for them. "Mali is a team we know well because we beat them in the last CAN. We have prepared well for this match and we are determined to get a good result to continue to write history. We want to honor our homeland and make the Moroccan people proud," said Hamza Koutoune, winger of the national team, to the FRMF media cell.

His teammate, Hamza Jlid, the team’s second goalkeeper, displays the same determination. "Mali is a tough opponent, but we will do our best to beat them, as we had already done during the CAN. We want to win this match in order to reach the semi-finals," he said.

While it is true that the Atlas Cubs have beaten the Eagles twice in the CAN semi-finals in Algeria and in a friendly match last April, this time they are facing tough opponents. They largely dominated Mexico (5-0) to qualify for the quarter-finals of the U-17 World Cup. Saïd Chiba’s protégés must therefore be very offensive to succeed in overcoming Mali. They must resist the Malians’ desire for revenge to repeat the feat.