Morocco hit four past Italy to take bronze at Taranto 2026

Morocco ended the men’s football tournament at the 2026 Mediterranean Games on a high by beating hosts Italy 4-1 to win the bronze medal on Sunday.

The victory came less than 48 hours after Morocco’s semi-final defeat by Algeria on penalties, but Ludovic Batelli’s Under-20 side showed little sign of being affected by that disappointment in Taranto.

Morocco made the stronger start and took the lead after only nine minutes. Mohamed Mounssef of Wydad Casablanca opened the scoring to put the Lionceaux de l’Atlas in control.

Italy struggled to respond, and Morocco effectively settled the contest with two goals in the opening stages of the second half. Abdelali Eddaoudi, the FUS Rabat forward, doubled the advantage in the 47th minute before Karim Essaadi of Raja Casablanca added a third three minutes later.

Gioele Giammattei gave the hosts a brief lift by pulling a goal back for Italy in the 59th minute. Morocco, however, remained in command and restored their three-goal advantage when Raja forward Anass Benomare scored in the 75th minute.

The result does not erase the frustration of losing the semi-final to Algeria, but it gives Morocco a place on the podium and allows the team to complete its Mediterranean Games campaign in the most positive manner available after that setback.

Morocco could yet celebrate a second bronze medal in football at these Games. The Morocco Under-17 women’s team will face Slovenia on Monday morning at 10:30 for a place on the podium.

The men’s side will soon have to turn its focus to another important assignment. The qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Under-20 tournament in the UNAF zone are scheduled to take place in Egypt from 24 September to 6 October.

Morocco will face Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and hosts Egypt in that qualifying tournament, which will provide two places at the final tournament.

The level of competition is expected to be high. Algeria and Tunisia are both using Under-21 selections at the Mediterranean Games, and the two sides will meet in Sunday’s gold-medal final.

Morocco’s success against Italy also provided a strong response to the manner of their semi-final exit. After being unable to settle the contest against Algeria in normal play and then losing in the shootout, Batelli’s players produced a decisive performance against the hosts, scoring four times and controlling the match for long periods.

The bronze-medal match was ultimately decided by Morocco’s efficiency in both penalty areas. Their early goal established the platform, while the quick double after half-time left Italy with too much ground to recover. Giammattei’s effort offered only temporary encouragement before Benomare completed a convincing win.

Morocco team against Italy

Romain Lantheaume discovered African football through Didier Drogba before finding Afrik-Foot in 2013.