Ouazane: Morocco’s U-17 team secured their place in the World Cup round of 16 against the United States thanks to young Ajax player Abdellah Ouazane, who forced a penalty shootout in the dying moments of regular time.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, things got complicated for the Atlas Cubs when Jude Terry opened the scoring after just over twenty minutes of play. A missed penalty by Mathis Albert allowed Morocco to avoid the worst, even though elimination had long seemed imminent.

The game shifted in the 65th minute with the entry of Abdellah Ouazane, a player from Ajax’s reserve team. He scored the equalizing goal just before the final whistle, dribbling past four defenders and slotting the ball into the bottom corner, outsmarting the American goalkeeper.

Under the headline ‘Ajax Midfielder Ouazane Saves Morocco U-17 with Stunning Goal at the World Cup’, Voetbal Primeur writes that Abdellah Ouazane made a name for himself on Friday against the U.S. team by scoring a magnificent goal that allowed Morocco to force a penalty shootout in the Round of 32 of the World Cup in Qatar.

Highlighting the talent of the young Moroccan prodigy, the Dutch media outlet recalls that Abdellah Ouazane, who plays with Jong Ajax in the Dutch second division, was close to joining Real Madrid this summer, but the transfer ultimately did not materialize.