Pre-WAFCON Friendly: Host, Morocco, wallop Kenya 5-1, sends warning signals 

By Harry Awurumibe, Africa’s N0.1 Women Football Journalist

Host of next month’s CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON),  Morocco, thrashed visiting Kenya senior women’s team, Harambee Starlets 5-1 in an apparent one-sided international friendly match played Wednesday evening atbStade du village sportif de Tanger, Prompt News reports.

The Atlas Lionesses of Morocco came into this match following a home defeat to Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses on April 8, 2025, looking to bounce back with a stronger performance.

Handled by Spanish-born coach Jorge Vilda, who led Spain’s women team to lift the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 in Australia and New Zealand, he seems to have resolved the issues at the back which led to an improvement in the game against Kenya,

particularly since their backline has lacked consistency, having conceded goals in each of their last three matches.

Little wonder the Lionesses roared back to 5-1 victory over the Kenyans who are in a run of poor form, preparing for the match after they recorded two consecutive losses against Ivory Coast in last April’s FIFA women’s international match window.

Morocco scored first in the 10′  but Kenya hit back in the 20′ to make the match look like a contest even as the visitors held on till the end of the first 45′ only to crumble like pack of cards in the second half of the encounter.

Determined not to falter again in the front of their home crowd  in Tanger, the Moroccan coach tweaked his tactical approach to the game and his team went goals-crazy in the second stanza by scoring four unreplied goals in the 53′, 68′, 74′ and 90+1′ respectively.

With this victory, Morocco has won her three last matches, drawing one and losing one to Cameroon in April to send warning signals to the 11 other countries, including Nigeria,

 participating in the upcoming WAFCON holding in the North African nation from July 5 to 26, 2025.