The Moroccan women's U17 national team has secured a spot in the Round of 16 of the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup, currently being held in the Kingdom, after defeating Costa Rica 3–1 on Friday evening at Rabat's Olympic Stadium in the final Group A match. With this crucial victory, Morocco climbed to three points and qualified as one of the best third-placed teams, following an impressive display of skill and determination throughout the match. Italy topped Group A with nine points, followed by Brazil with four, Morocco with three, and Costa Rica at the bottom with one point. From the outset, the Atlas Lionesses showed intent, their first attempt came in the opening minute from the right flank, but Costa Rican goalkeeper Valeria Fernández intervened swiftly to stop the effort. Only moments later, Mayssa Baha opened the scoring in the 4th minute with a powerful shot that struck the post before finding the net. Coach Anwar Mghinia's players maintained solid defensive organization, tactical discipline, and intensity in pressing their opponents after taking the lead. Baha doubled the advantage in the 39th minute from the penalty spot, allowing Morocco to end the first half 2–0 ahead. In the second half, the Moroccan side continued with the same energy and could have added a third goal on multiple occasions, as the Costa Rican team fell back and relied on counterattacks. The Atlas Lionesses showed noticeable improvement in ball control and passing accuracy compared to their earlier matches against Brazil and Italy. Morocco's third goal came in the 77th minute after Costa Rica's Fabiana Alfaro inadvertently scored an own goal. Costa Rica managed to pull one back deep into added time (90+5'), but Morocco's qualification was already secured. In the other Group A fixture, Italy defeated Brazil 4–3. Under the tournament format, the top two teams from each group qualify directly for the Round of 16, along with the four best third-placed teams. Morocco will continue its campaign as one of them, keeping alive its hopes of advancing further in the competition, which runs until November 8.
