Morocco made history at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup with a 3–1 win over Costa Rica in their final group match. And what a game it was. This victory marks a major milestone in the Atlas Lionesses’ campaign, because it’s the first time they’ve won a match in the U17 World Cup.
Things got off to a flyer for Morocco as Mayssa Baha, a young talent from FC Barcelona got the scoreboard lit up in the 4th minute. She really set the tone for the game early on. It gave their team a real boost of confidence and allowed them to dictate the pace of the match.
Costa Rica had some moments, and the most notable being when a decent chance on goal in the 24th minute was expertly blocked by Morocco’s backline – that was a pretty crucial block. Medina showed up as Costa Rica’s fastest and most potent player, but Morocco’s defence held firm.
Then a key moment came when the Costa Rica goalkeeper Valeria Fernández in the 35th minute got a yellow card for a foul in the penalty area and a penalty was awarded to Morocco. This was a real turning point and with it, Morocco took the lead 2–0 going into the second half.
Steady second-half secured historic win for Moroco
In the second half Morocco continued to show what they’re capable of. Costa Rica threw everything at them to get back in the match, but it just wasn’t their day. The Lionesses were solid and composed. The match was sealed in the 77th minute, when Costa Rica’s Alfaro Arguello made a huge mistake and managed to turn the ball into the back of the net, scoring an own goa it was l, but it kept Morocco on course for that historic win and made it 3–0.
Then Costa Rica scored a late goal in the 95th minute, bringing the final score to 3–1, but Morocco’s historic first World Cup win was already secured.
With the points on the board Morocco can now look at tomorrow’s games with a fair degree of confidence. They picked up three points in the group and scored three goals and conceded one in this game. But nothing is done yet, as qualification will depend on results from tomorrow’s other group matches because the tournament allows the four best third-placed teams from all six groups through to the knockout rounds.
