Morocco’s U-17 men’s national team set a new record after thrashing New Caledonia 16-0 in their final group match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup on Sunday.
After a challenging start to the tournament, with a 2-0 loss to Japan followed by a 6-0 defeat against Portugal, Morocco bounced back in style, achieving the highest scoring margin in the competition’s history.
The African champions now hold the record for the most goals in a match at the World Cup, surpassing Spain’s 13-0 win over New Zealand in 1997 at the FIFA U17 World Cup and the USA’s 13-0 triumph against Thailand at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France in 2019.
Morocco head coach Nabil Baha praised his squad for their resilience after a slow start.
“You have to give credit to the players. It’s important to make football history, whether with titles or with goals,” he said.
He added, “It’s a huge source of pride, yes, but we could have won our other matches.
“Even though we’re African champions, a World Cup is a different beast because the best players in the world are here.”
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