Morocco's third goalkeeper stars in shootout to secure a spot in the Under-20 World Cup final

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Third goalkeeper Abdelhakim El Mesbahi came off the bench near the end of extra time and made the decisive save in the shootout as Morocco edged France 5-4 on penalties Wednesday to qualify for its first Under-20 World Cup final.

The Moroccans will play for the championship against Argentina, which edged Colombia 1-0 to reach its eighth final at the under-20 tournament.

French goalkeeper Lisandru Olmeta's own goal in the 32nd minute gave Morocco the lead before midfielder Lucas Michal equalized in the 59th.

It was tied 1-1 in regulation and near the end of extra time, when Morocco’s coach Mohamed Ouahbi sent in El Mesbahi for the shootout.

El Mesbahi had headshots of France’s players printed on his water bottle and a small graphic of where they might direct their penalty kicks.

The strategy worked because El Mesbahi, who hadn't played in any of Morocco's previous matches at the tournament, stopped France´s last shot from Djylian Nguessan.

“We managed to stay focused, calm and wait for our moments,” Ouahbi said. “Now we’re enjoying it, we’re in the final. I’m quite emotional because it’s a historic moment, but we want to win the final. We’re going to calm down quickly because what we want is to win the cup.”

Morocco’s starting goalkeeper Yanis Benchaouch was injured during regulation time and replaced by Ibrahim Gomis in the 64th minute. Gomis made way for El Mesbahi at the end of overtime.

Morocco topped its group, beating Spain and Brazil in the process, and then beat South Korea and the United States to reach the semifinals.

The African nation's best previous performance in the tournament was fourth place in 2005.

In the later semifinal match, Mateo Silvetti scored in the 72nd minute for Argentina, which has won all of its matches in Chile and is aiming for a seventh Under-20 world title.

The Argentina squad is dominating in Chile despite missing Bayer Leverkusen's Claudio Echeverri and Real Madrid's Franco Mastantuono, two of the country's best under-20s players.

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Payers of Argentina celebrate defeating Colombian 1-0 in a FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinal soccer match at National Stadium in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Argentina's Mateo Silvetti celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Colombia during a FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinal soccer match at National Stadium in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Teammates celebrate with Morocco's goalkeeper Abdelhakim Mesbahi after defeating France in a penalty shootout during a FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinal soccer match at Elias Figueroa Brander Stadium in Valparaiso, Chile, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Morocco's Fouad Zahouani celebrates with fans after defeating France in a penalty shootout during a FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinal soccer match at Elias Figueroa Brander Stadium in Valparaiso, Chile, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Morocco's goalkeeper Abdelhakim Mesbahi stops a penalty kick by France's Djylian Nguessan during a shootout in a FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinal soccer match at Elias Figueroa Brander Stadium in Valparaiso, Chile, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — You’ve done something special when Torii Hunter, a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner known for his acrobatic catches, calls what you just did “probably the greatest defensive game I’ve ever seen.”

That was the praise Hunter heaped on the Los Angeles Angels' Jo Adell after the right fielder made three homer-robbing catches, the last a spectacular leaping grab while crashing into the seats near the right-field foul pole in the ninth inning, in a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night.

“I’ve never seen three home run robberies in one game, and I’ve never seen a guy on the third one fall into the stands, catch the ball and keep his feet in like he’s a wide receiver,” said the 50-year-old Hunter, a special assistant to the general manager who watched the game from the bench. “I was jumping up and down. I almost passed out.”

Adell, who struggled on defense for several years before transforming into a Gold Glove finalist in 2024, leaped high above the yellow line on the wall in straight-way right field to deny Cal Raleigh of a solo homer in the first inning, and made a nearly identical catch to against Josh Naylor in the eighth.

J.P. Crawford then led off the ninth with a drive toward the right-field corner, where Adell raced toward the ball, leaped to glove it, flipped over the low wall and fell into the first row of seats before holding his glove up to present the catch, which was upheld after a replay review.

“After the first one, I was pretty fired up,” Adell said. “When I got to the second one, which looked identical to the first, I thought, ‘Wow, my routes are on point tonight.’ The third one was just grit. Top of the ninth, you have to get it done. It was crazy.

“You just get there, then it’s decision-making. The ball was hit high enough to where I could get there. I watched it (into my glove), fell over and ended up in somebody’s lap. I don’t know who it was, but it was a softer landing than I expected. The fans were as fired up as me.”

According to Inside Edge, Adell has 10 home run robberies since 2020, tied with Kyle Tucker of the Dodgers for the most in the big leagues. The outfielders with the most home run robberies in the entire 2025 season were Jacob Young of the Nationals and Fernando Tatis of the Padres. Both had four.

This was believed to be the first time in baseball history a player has robbed three homers in one game.

“It was like a movie scene,” Hunter said about Adell’s third catch. “It was like the music was playing, then he caught the ball, then he went down and we didn’t see him anymore. The music paused, he came up and said, ‘Yeah!’ I started cheering and almost blacked out.”

Hunter, the former Minnesota Twins, Angels and Detroit Tigers star, has worked extensively with Adell on defense during the past few years.

“His impact has been huge,” Adell said. “It’s mental when you’re out there — it’s a mindset of going to get the baseball, being aggressive. Early, I was caught in between on some plays, and sometimes that happens.

“When you err on the side of being aggressive and trying to make the plays, you’d be surprised at how many plays you make. That’s the mindset Torii had all those years, winning all those Gold Gloves.”

P MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Angels left fielder Jo Adell (7) jumps up to catch a ball hit by Seattle Mariners' Josh Naylor (12) during the eighth inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe (14) and left fielder Jo Adell (7) embrace at the end of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Los Angeles Angels Jo Adell (7) is greeted by teammates at the end of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Los Angeles Angels left fielder Jo Adell (7) catches a ball hit by Seattle Mariners' J.P. Crawford during the ninth inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Los Angeles Angels left fielder Jo Adell (7) catches a ball hit by Seattle Mariners' J.P. Crawford during the ninth inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)