U17WC: Mali ends Morocco's fairytale run with heartbreaking late goal to hit semis

West African nation Mali is through to the last four of the 2023 under-`7 FIFA World Cup after a thrilling encounter against Morocco. 

Ibrahim Diarra was the hero as Mali shattered Morocco’s fairytale run at the tournament following a heartbreaking 1-0 win in the quarterfinal on Saturday afternoon. 

The match which was held at the Manahan Stadium in Indonesia witnessed a rollercoaster of emotions from both teams. 

Morocco was the underdog heading into the game against Mali, giving their respective pedigrees in the FIFA competition. 

While Mali was hoping to book another place in the last four after being runner-up eight years ago, the Moroccans were playing this stage for the first-ever.

Despite coming close a couple of times, it was the young Eagles from Mali who booked a ticket to the next round after a late goal from Diarra. 

The Malians were worthy winners in the end-to-end clash, having dominated and created the most chances. 

They had 19 attempted compared to Morocco’s five, seven of which were on target and had 61% of the ball. 

Following the win, Mali will face European giant France in the semifinals while Morocco’s historic run comes to an end as they will book a flight back home.