It was another difficult day on Monday for African teams at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025 as hosts Morocco and Cameroon fell short.
Morrocco lost 3-1 to Italy, while Cameroon suffered a 2-1 defeat to Korea DPR, continuing the continent’s winless run in the tournament.
Morocco conceded twice in 13 minutes as Giulia Galli brace gives Italy a edge before Rachele Giudici added a third before Dounia-El Yakout El Mesmoudi scored Morocco consolation.
The result means Italy sealed qualification to the knockout round.
While Dounia-El Yakout El Mesmoudi goal was Morocco’s first goal of the tournament.
Morocco midfielder Romasan AIhssan praised her team’s fighting spirit despite the result, saying, “We gave everything until the end despite the score. We have the youngest team in the tournament, and we’re still learning.”
In Group B, Cameroon also suffered heartbreak after conceding a stoppage-time goal in a 2-1 defeat to defending champions Korea DPR, making it a back to back narrow defeats in two matches.
Lys Tiwa had given the Lionesses a first-half lead, but Kim Won-sim struck twice — including a 98th-minute header — to complete a stunning comeback for the Asian side.
Cameroon goalkeeper Jessica Mabou expressed disappointment but vowed to fight on. “We gave it everything, we deserved something, but we came away with nothing. It’s not over yet.”
Elsewhere, Mexico stunned the Netherlands 1-0 thanks to a late long-range strike from Citlalli Reyes, while Ecuador defeated Norway 2-0 to revive their qualification hopes.
In Group A, Costa Rica goalkeeper Valeria Fernandez saved a stoppage-time penalty to secure a 1-1 draw with Brazil, keeping their tournament hopes alive.
With both Morocco and Cameroon still searching for their first wins, the two Africa’s representatives now face must-win matches in their final group games to avoid an early exit from Morocco 2025.
Meanwhile, later today Nigeria will take on France while Zambia faces Japan.
Both matches slated for 5 pm as the two teams seek to halt Africa’s free fall and bounce back from their opening day defeats.
Results at a Glance
Group A: Costa Rica 1–1 Brazil, Morocco 1–3 Italy
Group B: Korea DPR 2–1 Cameroon, Netherlands 0–1 Mexico
Group C: USA 5–2 China PR, Norway 0–2 Ecuador
