The Junior Atlas Lions of Morocco Friday night thrashed the Gambia U-20 Scorpions 4-0 in the first leg of their 2013 African U-20 Championship qualifier. The goals were scored by Omar Ati Allah in the 41st and 70th minutes and Reda Ennoualy in the 45th and 60th minutes.

The Gambia U-20 now have a mountain to climb, as they need to beat the Young Atlas at least 5-0 in the return leg to be played in two weeks time in Banjul, to secure a ticket to the next round of the qualifiers. This latest defeat came amid much criticism of coach Lamin Sarr's team selection.

The Moroccans, who eliminated Mauritania to progress to the second round of the qualifiers, made the best use of their home advantage. Coach Hassan Benabicha's side will be coming here confident that their progress to the next level of the qualifiers is almost certainly assured.