Santiago: The Morocco national under-20 football team was crowned champion of the FIFA U-20 World Cup after defeating the Argentina national under-20 football team 2-0 in the final match held today in Chile.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Morocco owed its historic victory to its star striker, Yasser Al-Zabiri of F.C. Famalico, who scored both goals in the 12th and 29th minutes. He finished the tournament as top scorer with five goals, winning the Golden Boot award.

This was Morocco’s first appearance in a U-20 World Cup final, surpassing its previous best of reaching the semifinals in 2005 in Netherlands. The win also denied Argentina the chance to extend its record by securing a seventh title.

Morocco’s road to the title was remarkable, as the team eliminated several football giants along the way. The ‘Atlas Lions’ beat Spain national under-20 football team, the 1999 champion, and Brazil national under-20 football team, the second most successful team with five titles, in the group stage. They t
hen defeated South Korea national under-20 football team in the Round of 16, United States U-20 men’s national soccer team in the quarterfinals, and France national under-20 football team, the 2013 champion, in the semifinals.

With this triumph, Morocco became the first Arab nation to win the U-20 World Cup and the second African nation after Ghana national under-20 football team, which claimed the title in 2009 in Egypt.

This tournament marked the 24th edition of the U-20 World Cup. Argentina leads the all-time winners list with six titles, followed by Brazil with five. Portugal and Serbia have won twice each, while Morocco, Uruguay, Spain, and Ghana have lifted the trophy once.

Al-Zabiri’s outstanding performance earned him the Golden Boot, making him the first Arab player to achieve this honor. His five-goal tally set a new record for an Arab player at a single U-20 World Cup, surpassing the previous mark held by Mohamed El Yamani and Tahar Abouzeid.