Morocco surge into Mediterranean Games semi-finals after five-goal victory

Morocco secured their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 Mediterranean Games football tournament after a commanding 5-1 victory over North Macedonia on the final day of the group stage.

The result was enough to send Ludovic Batelli’s side through in second place in Group A, although they had to rely on their superior goal difference to finish above Turkey. Tunisia topped the group after beating Turkey 2-1 in the other match.

Morocco’s qualification looked far from certain after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Turkey in their opening game and then suffered a 1-0 defeat by Tunisia. That left them needing a convincing win against North Macedonia on Wednesday to keep their hopes of reaching the last four alive.

They delivered exactly that at the Franco Fanuzzi Stadium in Taranto, Italy, producing their biggest performance of the competition so far.

Hamza Raji of Berkane gave Morocco the perfect start by opening the scoring in the first minute. Raji, who had provided an assist in Morocco’s opening match, moved quickly from creator to goalscorer to put his side ahead.

North Macedonia responded only four minutes later, levelling in the fifth minute and briefly suggesting that Morocco could face another difficult contest. However, the equaliser did not lead to a sustained challenge from the Macedonian side.

Morocco restored their advantage before half-time when Rayan Zinebi Talbi of Granada scored in the 37th minute. The goal allowed the North Africans to take a 2-1 lead into the interval and gave them control of a match they had to win by a comfortable margin.

The decisive spell came after the break. Mohamed Mounssef of Wydad Casablanca extended Morocco’s lead in the 59th minute, putting them within sight of the result required to overtake Turkey in the standings.

Karim Essaadi of Raja Casablanca added a fourth goal in the 79th minute, before Abdelghafour Gourari, also of Berkane, completed the scoring six minutes later. The 5-1 victory gave Morocco the crucial advantage they needed in the final table, with their goal difference edging them above Turkey by a single goal.

Tunisia’s victory over Turkey in the simultaneous Group A match confirmed Morocco’s second-place finish behind the group winners.

Morocco will now face the winners of Group B in the semi-finals. Algeria are a potential opponent, which could set up a North African derby for a place in the final.

The semi-final qualification marks a significant recovery for Morocco after their uneven start to the tournament. Having failed to beat Turkey and then losing to Tunisia, they entered the final group fixture knowing that only a substantial victory could keep their Mediterranean Games campaign alive. Their emphatic win over North Macedonia ultimately proved enough, but only by the narrowest possible margin in the standings.