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Rabat – Yesterday evening, the Mohammed VI Academy made history when they knocked out Glasgow Rangers FC, the reigning champions of the Alkass International Cup, from the 2020 competition.
In their first appearance in the prestigious Under-17 Alkass International Cup, the Mohammed VI Academy surpassed the results of previous Moroccan entries, Raja and Wydad Casablanca, by becoming the first Moroccan club to reach the semi-finals of the Alkass tournament.
The Moroccan youngsters won the game by 3-2 after coming back from a 0-1 deficit. The Glaswegians only needed 7 minutes to take the lead against the Moroccans. The early goal from Rangers was a wake-up call for the players of Mohammed VI Academy who managed to equalize the score just a couple of minutes later.
The Mohammed VI Academy went into the halftime with a 2-1 lead after Hassan Aqboub scored what may be crowned the goal of the tournament when he curled the ball into the net from outside the box in the 26th minute.
Glasgow Rangers nearly had a comeback before young talent Omar Sadik from Mohammed VI Academy showed tremendous strength in the air when he headed home the 3-2 winner from a corner in the 83rd minute.
Sadik is a name to remember for all Moroccan football fans. The young, tall striker has impressed numerous scouts with his great performances and eye for goal scoring.
Sadik has scored four goals in three appearances in the tournament and looks to score more as Mohammed VI Academy is set to face off the winner of the Real Madrid-Kashiwa Reysol match in the semi-final.
Aqboub also raised the eyebrows of the spectators with his magnificent performance that resulted in him receiving the player of the match award against Rangers.
King Mohammed VI inaugurated the football academy in 2009 with the aim of producing the next generation of Moroccan footballers by providing them with great facilities, education, and mentoring.
The academy can boast their work already coming to fruition as former Mohammed VI Academy player Youssef En-Nesyri, who recently secured a move to Spanish giant Sevilla, has risen to the top of European football.
Hamza Mendyl is another player who kicked off his career at the academy and is currently on loan at Ligue 1 club Dijon from the well-known German Schalke 04.
