Morocco closed their U17 World Cup journey with a 16–0 victory over New Caledonia on Sunday.
Despite elimination before kick-off, the Atlas Lions attacked the final game with ambition.
Above all, they wanted a statement, not sympathy.
As a result, they delivered the biggest scoreline of their tournament.
From the start, Morocco played with urgency and intent.
Initially, Bilal Soukrat struck first in the 3rd minute to set the tone.
Soon after, Oualid Ibn Salah doubled the noise with two sharp goals in the 11th and 18th minute.
At that stage, New Caledonia struggled to adjust, reset, or resist.
Then, the match shifted further when New Caledonia lost two players to red cards in the 22nd and 31st minute.
Consequently, space widened and Morocco attacked without pause.
With a numerical edge, they moved faster, passed sharper and finished cleaner.
Before the break, Abdelali Daoudi scored twice in the 41st and 42nd minute.
Next, Ilyas Hidaoui joined the scoring spree in the 44th minute.
In addition, Ziyad Baha struck in stoppage time to seal a booming 7–0 first-half lead.
By then, the contest had turned into a test of endurance, not balance.
After the restart, Morocco picked up exactly where they paused.
First, Zakarie El Kalfioui delivered the eighth goal.
Shortly after, Ziyad Baha doubled his tally in the 50th minute.
Similarly, Nahel Haddani registered two goals in four minutes, scoring in the 56th and 60th minute.
Meanwhile, the pressure never softened.
Later, Abdellah Ouazane added another in the 73rd minute.
Then, Steevy Andrew miscued into his own net in the 76th minute.
After that, Ismail El Aoud struck twice in the 80th and 90th minute to stretch the count.
Finally, Ouazane returned in stoppage time, scoring again in the 90+2 minute to cap the rout.
In the end, Morocco exited the tournament without qualification, but not without identity.
They fell short of the knockout stage, yet still walked off with noise, goals and pride.
