Anis Soubeir and Safouane Benzahra took an important step this Thursday by playing their first minutes in official competition with the AS Monaco first team. The two young Moroccans participated in the victory achieved in Poland against Górnik Zabrze (2-3) during the first leg of the Conference League playoffs.
Having already been used during the summer preparation, the two midfielders discovered the professional level this time in a competitive match. Soubeir, 19 years old, replaced Mathys Detourbet in the 55th minute. Cautioned a few minutes later, the U20 Moroccan international was proactive and notably forced the Polish goalkeeper to deflect a superb free kick in the 86th minute. Benzahra, who just celebrated his 18th birthday, came on in the 89th minute in place of captain Denis Zakaria.
Arriving from FC Metz in 2025 and under contract until June 2028, Soubeir had already provided an assist during the friendly victory against Liverpool. Benzahra, for his part, distinguished himself last season with the Monaco U19s by scoring eight goals and providing four assists in 18 matches. Having passed through NAC Breda, the attacking midfielder represents Morocco at the U18 level.
Also called up for this European match, Aymen Assab remained on the bench. Arriving this summer from Paris Saint-Germain, the U18 French international of Moroccan origin will have to wait a bit longer before knowing his first official minutes with Monaco. Another opportunity could arise during the return match, scheduled for August 27 at the Stade Louis-II.
