In a thrilling final held Thursday night in Doha, Morocco had to work hard to overcome a tenacious Jordan, culminating in a dramatic turn of events. The Atlas Lions ultimately triumphed 3-2 after extra time, propelled by a decisive Abderrazak Hamdallah at a crucial moment.
The Moroccans had actually started the match ideally. In the 4th minute, Oussama Tannane delivered a monumental strike from nearly 50 meters, catching everyone off guard and leaving goalkeeper Yazeed Abou Leila without a reaction. Following this, Morocco continued to press, creating several clear chances, including a significant scare from a Berkaoui attempt, and a ball cleared off the line just before halftime.
Upon returning from the break, Jordan transformed the match and turned the final around in just a few minutes. Ali Alwan first equalized with a header (47th minute) before regaining the lead for his team with a penalty after a VAR review (67th minute). Trailing and under pressure, Morocco ramped up the intensity and found the equalizer as regulation time approached: Hamdallah, who had come on as a substitute, snatched the equalizer in the 86th minute, a goal that was also validated after video review.
In extra time, the striker left his mark. Hamdallah scored again (100th minute) to give Morocco a definitive lead, before a tense finish where Jordan tried everything. Solid in their efforts and more realistic at the key moment, Morocco held onto their lead until the end to claim an Arab title with a special flavor.
