Rampant Morocco cruise past Uganda in U-17 AFCON opener
03/31/2025 05:00 AM
Morocco began their U-17 Africa Cup of Nations campaign on a stellar note as they emphatically defeated Uganda 5-0 at the El Bachir Stadium on Monday. The win sees the home side at the top of the Group A standings.
Ilies Belmokhtar was the standout performer with the 16-year-old scoring a brace in the first half as well as being awarded the Man of the Match award, announcing his arrival on the continental stage with an impressive display.
The Moroccans dominated play in the first 45 minutes, scoring a total of four goals. Belmokhtar opened the scoring as early as the third minute after receiving a great pass which served as an assist from Abdellah Ouazane.
Driss Ait Cheikh doubled the lead in the eighth minute and Ziyad Baha Abelhadj also got his name on the scoresheet, scoring from the spot in the 23rd minute after the young Atlas Lions were awarded a penalty after a VAR review.
The home team dominated in possession and ran rampant throughout as the Ugandan Cubs battled to keep possession long enough to cause a significant threat, although they did manage to get a decent amount of shots on goal.
Belmokhtar completed his brace in the 32nd minute with a solo effort as the home team went into half-time having enjoyed 67% of possession and scoring four of their six first-half chances, showing their precision.
After much one way traffic in the first half, the Ugandans held their ground better in the second period and did not concede another goal well into the 70th minute.
Simon Wanyama came close to pulling one back, but was denied by Moroccan goalkeeper Chouaib Bellaarouch.
The youthful Lions scored their fifth through Ziyad Baha Abelhadj who grabbed his second, this time from open play after taking advantage of a defensive error by Ashraf Lukyamuzi.
