Africa-Press – Lesotho. Morocco’s U-17 national team etched their name into the FIFA record books on Sunday after crushing New Caledonia 16–0 in their final group match at the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup in Doha, Qatar.
The match, played at the Aspire Academy Pitch 1, saw Morocco deliver a relentless attacking performance that not only shattered records but also reignited their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage.
The young Atlas Lions began their dominance early, with Bilal Soukrat opening the scoring in the third minute.
Oualid Ibn Salah followed with two quick goals in the 11th and 18th minutes to give Morocco a comfortable early lead.
New Caledonia’s troubles deepened when Typhan Dreuko was sent off in the 23rd minute.
Their misery compounded just eight minutes later as Jean Canehmez also saw red, reducing the team to nine men.
Morocco’s coach, Abdelhamid Baha, utilized FIFA’s newly introduced green card system to challenge the second dismissal, but after a video review, the referee upheld the red card decision.
With New Caledonia two players down, Morocco showed no mercy. Abdelali Eddaoudi bagged a brace in the 41st and 43rd minutes, Ilyas Hidaoui added another in the 44th, and Ziyad Baha scored in stoppage time to make it 7–0 at halftime.
The onslaught continued in the second half. Zakari El Khalfioui (48′) and Ziyad Baha (50′) extended the lead before Nahel Haddani added two quick goals in the 56th and 60th minutes.
Abdellah Ouazane (73′), an own goal by Steevy Andrew (76′), and a late brace from Ismail El Aoud (80′, 90′) completed the 16-goal massacre.
Statistically, Morocco dominated every aspect of the game — enjoying 73% possession, taking 25 shots, and preventing New Caledonia from registering even a single shot on target.
Despite their historic win, Morocco’s progression to the next round is not yet guaranteed.
They finish the group stage with three points and a +8 goal difference and must wait for the outcomes of other fixtures, particularly in Groups C and D.
A favorable result, such as a win for Qatar against Bolivia, could seal Morocco’s advancement as one of the best third-placed teams.
Regardless of the outcome, Morocco’s emphatic 16–0 triumph will go down as one of the most remarkable performances in FIFA U-17 World Cup history.
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