The Moroccan national futsal team qualified for the final of the sixth edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games, after defeating their Saudi counterparts 6-3 in the match that brought them together today, Sunday, at the Green Hall in Riyadh, in a football evening that kept everyone on the edge of their seats until the last seconds.
The match lived up to its promise of excitement and competitiveness throughout its duration, as the first half ended in a goalless draw, despite the relative advantage of the Moroccan team, which demonstrated clear harmony between its lines and smooth ball movement under organized pressure in the opponent's areas.
As the coaches' half began, it became clear that the instructions of national coach Hisham Al-Daqiq had paid off, when Yanis Al-Radaf managed to break the Saudi defense code and open the scoring.
The Saudi team did not take long to equalize through player Ehab Mohammed, taking advantage of the “power play” plan. However, the determination of the national players quickly resulted in the second goal scored by Ismail Amzal, and Soufiane Bourit added the third goal a few minutes later.
The final minutes witnessed great tension after the referee, Hawkar Ahmed, showed the red card to goalkeeper Youssef Ben Salam. The"Green" team took advantage of the numerical disadvantage and reduced the gap through Saleh Al-Qarni, before Nawaf Arwan succeeded in equalizing in exciting moments that held the breath.
The two teams resorted to extra time, where the Moroccan team managed to secure qualification in the second extra time period through Soufiane El Shaarawy and Idriss El Rais El Fenni, before Bilal El Bakkali fired the “mercy bullet” with the sixth goal.
The Moroccan national futsal team will face their Iranian counterparts, who defeated Uzbekistan (4-2), next Tuesday at 5 pm Moroccan time (7 pm local time), in an anticipated match reminiscent of the 2024 World Cup game; while the third-place match, on the same day, will be between the Saudi Arabian and Uzbekistani national teams.
