Morocco defeats Ukraine 9-2 to advance to the Kings League World Cup
The Moroccan national team showed a confident performance on Saturday and defeated Ukraine 9-2 in the second round of the Kings League World Cup in Italy. The victory secured Morocco’s place in the “Last Chance” phase of the tournament.
The game got off to an explosive start for Morocco when Nader Al-Louah scored in the first minute in a one-on-one duel – a unique feature of the Kings League format. Al-Louah scored the second goal in the 20th minute before Ukrainian Denis Oliinyk equalized. Al-Louah completed his hat-trick shortly afterwards, restoring Morocco’s two-goal lead.
In the second half, veteran player Zakaria Hadraf scored Morocco’s fourth goal, while Andrii Tsupa scored Ukraine’s second goal, reducing the deficit. Achraf Saoud responded for Morocco with a fifth goal in the 37th minute. Morocco sealed the victory with two more double goals, increasing the final score to 9-2.
With this win, Morocco advances to the “Last Chance” phase against Japan. Japan lost 2-1 to Argentina earlier in the day. Hosts Italy and Saudi Arabia were eliminated from the tournament after two defeats each.
Morocco’s squad featured several notable former players, including Mbark Boussoufa, Zakaria Hadraf and Issam Raki. After the 4-1 defeat against Colombia in the first round, the team’s resilience was on full display.
The Kings League is known for its unique format and consists of seven player teams consisting of a goalkeeper and six outfield players. Matches are played in two 20-minute halves, with unlimited substitutions possible. The games begin with a one-on-one duel that lasts one minute, after which the remaining players gradually join in until both teams are complete.
