Doha, January 5, 2025 – The Europe Today: Morocco delivered a stunning performance in their Round 2 losers’ bracket match at the Kings World Cup Nations, securing a dominant 9-2 victory over Ukraine to keep their tournament hopes alive.
The Atlas Lions bounced back from a 4-1 loss to Colombia in their previous match, showcasing remarkable improvement. Nadir Louah led the charge with a sensational hat-trick and a double goal, opening the scoring in the first minute and adding two more in the 20th minute and first-half stoppage time. Louah’s double goal in the 39th minute further solidified Morocco’s dominance.
Zakaria Hadraf, Achraf Mohamed Saoud, and Mehdi Amri also contributed to the victory, with Amri scoring a double goal in stoppage time. Ukraine’s goals came from Denys Oliynyk in first-half stoppage time and Andriy Tsopa in the 33rd minute, but their efforts were no match for Morocco’s offensive display.
The match statistics underscored Morocco’s control, with 23 shots (15 on target) compared to Ukraine’s 15 shots (7 on target). Morocco maintained 44% possession with an 84% pass success rate, while Ukraine held 56% possession with an 89% pass success rate.
This victory propels Morocco into a crucial “last chance” round match against Japan on January 6. The Kings World Cup Nations, organized by Gerard Piqué and streamer Ibai Llanos, features seven-a-side teams and unique rules such as unlimited substitutions and temporary suspensions for carded players.
Popular Moroccan streamer Ilyas El Maliki, recently released from El Jadida prison, livestreamed the match on the Kick platform, drawing over 350,000 viewers.
The inaugural tournament, taking place in Italy from January 1-12, brings together 16 nations, with the grand finale set for January 12 at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
