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Morocco’s U20 side has made history twice in two matches. On Monday they became the first team to use FIFA’s new green card at a World Cup, overturning a late penalty in their 2–0 win over Spain. By Wednesday they followed it up with a hard-fought win over Brazil — a result that sees them qualify for the knockout stages with one group match to go.
Against Spain, Yassir Zabiri and Gessime Yassine scored in front of just over 11,000 fans at Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos. The Brazil match was tighter but the Atlas Cubs did enough to ensure their stay in Chile will go beyond the group stage.
What the green card does
The green card is part of FIFA’s Football Video Support (FVS), a VAR for youth competitions and leagues without a full broadcast setup. Coaches can challenge 2 times per game for goals, penalties, direct reds and mistaken identity.
A successful challenge keeps the team’s right to challenge again; an unsuccessful one uses it up. The system is designed to correct obvious errors without the delays and cost of a full VAR review.
The big moment came against Spain. When the referee pointed to the penalty spot in the second half, Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi reached for a green card. After watching the video, the referee overturned the penalty and cautioned the Spanish forward for simulation. This was the first time that a green card had benefited a coach who had challenged a referee’s decision in a FIFA tournament.
As a result, Morocco kept the lead and took that momentum into their next game against Brazil. Two wins in two games against big teams means Morocco is already through to the round of 16. That´s a big achievement for the Atlas Cubs, who will be looking to capitalize on these impressive performances later into this tournament.
