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Doha – Morocco dominated their Round 2 losers’ bracket match against Ukraine with a crushing 9-2 victory at KL Arena, keeping their tournament hopes alive in the Kings World Cup Nations.
The Atlas Lions, who suffered a 4-1 defeat to Colombia in their previous match, showed remarkable improvement as Nadir Louah led the scoring with a hat-trick and a double goal.
Louah opened the scoring in the first minute, then added two more goals in the 20th minute and first minute of stoppage time, before scoring a crucial double goal in the 39th minute.
Zakaria Hadraf contributed to the tally with a goal in the 27th minute, while Achraf Mohamed Saoud added another in the 37th minute, and Mehdi Amri sealed the victory with 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 it wasn’t enough to overcome Morocco’s offensive display.
The statistics reflected Morocco’s dominance, with 23 total shots and 15 on target, compared to Ukraine’s 15 shots with 7 on target.
The match, which lasted 40 minutes divided into two 20-minute halves, saw both teams receive one yellow card each. Morocco maintained 44% possession with an 84% successful pass rate, while Ukraine held 56% possession with an 89% pass success rate.
The victory sets up Morocco for a crucial match against Japan in the “last chance” round, scheduled for January 6.
This tournament format, created by former Barcelona star Gerard Piqué and streamer Ibai Llanos, features seven-a-side teams competing in a modified version of traditional football.
Popular Moroccan streamer Ilyas El Maliki, who was recently released from El Jadida prison after serving a reduced two-month suspended sentence for public indecency, followed the match via livestream. His Kick platform broadcast drew over 350,000 viewers.
The Kings World Cup Nations, running from January 1-12 in Italy, brings together 16 nations in its inaugural event.
The tournament features unique rules, including unlimited substitutions and a card system for temporary player suspension rather than traditional red and yellow card dismissals. Teams consist of 10 players each – seven on the field and three substitutes.
Both teams entered this match seeking redemption after opening losses, with Ukraine having suffered a 5-0 defeat against Türkiye in their previous encounter. The winner of the entire tournament will be crowned at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on January 12.
