The Morocco U20 team began its journey at the 2026 Mediterranean Games with a frustrating draw against Turkey (2-2) on Saturday at the Franco-Fanuzzi Stadium in Brindisi, Italy. Reduced to ten men as early as the 11th minute, the Atlas Lions held onto the lead for a long time before conceding the equalizer in the final seconds.
The team, led by Ludovic Batelli, had actually started the match perfectly. In the very first minute, Yahya Ighiz, a player from Raja Casablanca, opened the scoring with an assist from Hamza Raji. The expulsion of Bilal Soukrat ten minutes later quickly complicated the Moroccans’ mission, but they managed to maintain their lead until halftime.
Even with a numerical disadvantage, Morocco doubled its lead in the 49th minute thanks to Abderrahmane Arkid, a defender from FUS Rabat. Turkey then took advantage of its numerical superiority to come back through Berkay Aslan and Emir Tuğra Tarhan, snatching a 2-2 draw in the dying moments of stoppage time.
This result inevitably leaves the Lions with regrets, having led by two goals despite playing nearly 80 minutes with ten men. Placed in Group A, Morocco will face Tunisia on Monday, August 24, at 9:30 AM Moroccan time, before challenging North Macedonia.
