Moroccan forward Ilias Boumassaoud has been named Man of the Match after their victory against Sierra Leone in the quarter-finals of the 2025 CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
In the high-stakes match played on Monday, May 12, Boumassaoud missed out on a starting role but had the chance to help his teammates in extra time following a goalless draw in the 90 minutes.
After coming on, the 20-year-old put up an impressive performance to inspire Morocco to victory.
An own goal by Amara Keita did the trick for the North Africans after unending pressure from Boumassaoud and his teammates upfront.
With an impressive performance on the pitch, Ilias Boumassaoudi deservedly won the TotalEnergies Man of the Match award! 🇲🇦 #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 | @football2gether pic.twitter.com/VHlYfU6jaf
— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) May 12, 2025
The narrow victory is enough to propel Morocco to the semi-finals of the U20 AFCON and also qualifies the country for the U20 FIFA World Cup scheduled for September this year.
In addition to Morocco, Nigeria and Egypt have also qualified for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup. The winner of the other quarter-final match between South Africa and DR Congo will also qualify for the World Cup.
