Doha – In a dramatic quarter-final clash at KL Arena in Milano, Morocco advanced to the Kings World Cup Nations semi-finals after defeating the United States 2-1 in penalties following a 7-7 draw in regular time on Wednesday.
The game saw an explosive start with both teams trading early goals. Nadir Louah struck first for Morocco in the opening minute, but the USA quickly responded through Devin Vega (2’) and Eduardo ‘Pollo’ Cortés (2’, 19’).
The attacking display continued as an own goal by Stefan Mijatovic (10′) and a strike from Achraf Mohamed Saoud (26′) kept Morocco in the contest.
Danny Benítez (20+1’, 31’) found the net twice for the USA, while Fuad El Amrani (22′, 33′) matched with a brace for Morocco.
Late goals from Luís Morales (8’) and Castro 1021 (23’) for the USA maintained the deadlock. In a crucial moment, Nadir Louah secured a double goal in the 39th minute, ultimately forcing the game to penalties, where Morocco emerged victorious with a 2-1 shootout win.
The build-up to the match was marked by verbal exchanges between USA goalkeeper Eduardo Cortés, an MLS veteran with MASL All-Rookie Team recognition in 2019/20, and Morocco’s Ilyas Nasri, a six-time one-on-one panna freestyle world champion.
“Of course, he’s a great player. You don’t become a world champion by chance, but this isn’t a one-on-one, it’s a team game,” Cortés had stated. Nasri countered confidently: “The USA is a great team, but we’re much better. We’re going to give them a football lesson.”
Morocco’s path to the quarter-finals included a 4-1 loss to Colombia in the opening round, followed by a commanding 9-2 victory over Ukraine and a 4-2 win against Japan. The United States entered undefeated after victories against Mexico (4-2) and Uzbekistan (6-2).
The Kings World Cup Nations, founded by former Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué, features innovative seven-a-side matches with two 20-minute halves. The tournament has captured international attention, with live-streamed matches reaching millions of views across platforms.
Ilyas Elmaliki, Morocco’s leading streamer with over 2.5 million followers, serves as team president. His Kick platform stream of the quarter-final match attracted more than 500,000 live viewers, maintaining his impressive viewership numbers from previous matches.
Elmaliki, wearing the traditional Sahrawi Daraa, expressed concerns about perceived referee bias toward the American team. Morocco now advances to the semi-finals scheduled for January 10, continuing their journey toward the final at Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy.
