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Rabat – Morocco’s under-17 national football team has defeated Panama 2-0 in the first matchday of the U-17 World Cup’s group stage.
The game, which was Group A’s opening match, took place today at the Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya, Indonesia.
Morocco opened the scoring in the 16th minute of the game through Saifdine Chlaghmou, thanks to an assist from Abdelhamid Maali.
Meanwhile, Atlas Lion Ayman Ennair scored his team’s second goal during added time.
Despite dominating possession of the ball throughout the game, Panama was unable to score.
Following today’s game, the Atlas Lions will lock horns with Ecuador on November 13, and play against Indonesia on November 16.
Speaking during a training session last week, Moroccan player Naoufel El Hannach said that the players are “keen to deliver a good performance during this World Cup,” stressing that the team’s ambition is to win the competition.
Commenting on his squad list choice, the team’s head coach Said Chiba said that he “took into consideration the current physical fitness of the players and assessed their injuries and competitiveness.”
“We also tried to create a balance in the positions that each player can occupy on the field,” the coach said, noting that the ability to play in different positions was one of the key criteria for selecting the players.
The ongoing tournament is the 19th edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup. It is taking place between November 10 and December 2 in four Indonesian cities.
A total of 24 teams, representing six confederations, are participating in the sporting event.
