Gessime Yassine’s World Cup goal signals sweet revenge | OneFootball

Rejected by multiple academies, Strasbourg’s Gessime Yassine capped a whirlwind year by scoring for Morocco in a 4-2 World Cup win over Haiti on Wednesday. For the 20-year-old, it felt like overdue payback.

He celebrated then waited, eyes on the referee, as officials pondered whether Soufiane Rahimi had won the ball on or behind the line. After minutes of uncertainty the fourth Morocco goal stood. According to L'Équipe, he had been turned away by about 15 academies in France and Italy before joining Dunkerque in early 2024.

He began 2026 in Ligue 2 with Dunkerque before moving to Strasbourg in mid-January. Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi promoted several U20 world champions for the United States, and the 1.72m livewire was among them.

After two games on the bench he played 20 minutes against Haiti and struck his first Morocco goal on his fifth cap. His debut, a 2-1 win over Paraguay in Lens on 31 March 2026, lasted one minute.

He called it an incredible experience and said scoring before family, friends and Moroccan fans makes him want to give even more, adding the seniors help the youngsters and the tournament is going very well.

Le Havre sporting director Demba Ba, formerly a Dunkerque executive, admired his street-honed technique and said he needed to build athletically, noting he had already played about 50 Ligue 2 matches.

Source: L'Équipe