Following their dominant 5-0 victory over Uganda in their opening match of the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco entered their clash with Zambia hoping for another win to book their place in the quarterfinals.
However, Nabil Baha’s side met fierce resistance from a disciplined Zambian team that denied them space and opportunities. The first half was a cautious affair, with both sides probing but creating few real chances. The tempo increased slightly after halftime, though neither team showed enough cutting edge in attack.
Morocco’s momentum suffered a major setback in the 75th minute when defender Hamza Mouhadi was sent off after a reckless challenge on Zambia’s Kelvin Mulenga Chipelu—a decision confirmed by VAR after intervention from Burkinabe referee Vincent Kabore.
Zambia nearly capitalized on their extra man in stoppage time, but substitute Gabriel Phiri missed a late chance (90+5′) as the match ended in a hard-fought stalemate.
Despite being reduced to ten men, Morocco pushed until the final whistle but wasted two golden opportunities in stoppage time. Ahmed Mouhoub blazed over from close range when completely unmarked (90+7′), while Ilies Belmokhtar misfired from the box in the dying seconds.
The goalless draw leaves both Morocco and Zambia joint-top of Group A with four points each. In the group’s earlier match, Uganda moved to third place (3 points) after a 3-0 victory over Tanzania, who remain bottom after two straight defeats.
The final group matches on Sunday will decide qualification, with Morocco facing Tanzania while Zambia take on Uganda in what promises to be a decisive clash.
