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Morocco’s women’s under-17 national football team opened its World Cup campaign in emphatic fashion with a 4-0 victory over New Zealand on Saturday, in a match played on Pitch 3 at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé, as part of the first round of Group A fixtures.

The national team’s goals were scored by Sonia Abajjou (57th minute), New Zealand’s Eden Shatour with an own goal (70th), Imane Dahissi (76th), and Hiba El Yousfi from the penalty spot (82nd). El Yousfi was named player of the match.

The “Atlas Lionesses” showed a clear desire from the opening minutes of the first half to impose their rhythm on the game, taking the initiative in attack and increasing their attempts to reach the New Zealand goal. The New Zealand side, however, was the first to threaten, through Mila Clark in the fifth minute.

Morocco responded quickly through Imane Dayane, who led the national team’s first attacking move in the seventh minute, before Morocco won a corner taken by Rita El Miroune in the same minute, marking the start of a series of attacking moves that reflected the players’ determination to take control.

The pace of Morocco’s attacks did not drop in the minutes that followed, with Rita El Miroune again threatening the opposition goal in the 12th minute, underlining her prominent role in the attacking phases, while the offside flag halted another Moroccan move in the 14th minute.

Morocco’s successive attempts reflected the players’ determination to secure a positive result, as they varied their attacking approaches and sought to make use of set pieces. New Zealand, for its part, also tried to find routes toward the Moroccan goal, but the remaining minutes brought no breakthrough, and the first half ended goalless.

The sustained attacking pressure from the Moroccan players finally paid off in the 57th minute through Sonia Abajjou, who managed to unlock the New Zealand defense and find the net, giving Morocco the lead after a series of first-half chances that had lacked a clinical finish.

In the 62nd minute, Morocco’s coach made three substitutions at once in an effort to inject fresh energy into the national team and maintain its attacking tempo, bringing on Aya Ait Khouya, Nesma El Mouradi, and Nayla Aghao.

In the 70th minute, New Zealand’s Eden Shatour scored into her own net, and six minutes later Imane Dahissi extended Morocco’s lead, before Hiba El Yousfi added the fourth goal from a penalty in the 82nd minute.

With this result, Morocco moved to the top of Group A with three points, ahead of Germany on goal difference after the Germans also defeated Argentina. The national team also kept a clean sheet at the start of its tournament campaign.

Morocco will play its second group-stage match against Germany next Tuesday.