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Morocco created football history on Saturday night as they clinched their inaugural TotalEnergies U-23 Africa Cup of Nations championship with an exhilarating 2-1 triumph over Egypt at Rabat’s Moulay Abdellah Stadium. The intense contest required extra time to determine the victor.
Egypt started the match strongly, with Mahmoud Saber delivering a magnificent curling shot into the top corner, granting his team the advantage just nine minutes into the game. However, Saber’s fortunes swiftly took a turn for the worse as he received a red card eight minutes later for a reckless challenge on Abdessamad Ezzalzouli.
Despite playing with ten men, Egypt exhibited resilience and held their ground for the rest of regular time. Their defense faltered in the 37th minute, allowing Yanis Begraoui to net the equalizer for the host nation.
With no further goals in both the initial and second halves, the match entered extra time. It was during the first half of extra time that Morocco seized the lead, marking the first occasion Egypt had trailed in the tournament.
Substitute Oussamna Targhalline capitalized on a free kick from Ezzalzouli, unleashing a powerful strike that eluded the Egyptian goalkeeper, propelling the scoreline to 2-1 in favor of Morocco.
Despite Egypt’s efforts to secure a late equalizer, Morocco held on to claim victory and hoist their first-ever TotalEnergies U-23 AFCON trophy.
Both Morocco and Egypt have now secured their berths in next year’s Olympic Games, slated to take place in Paris. They will be accompanied by Mali, who secured their qualification after defeating Guinea in the third-place playoff on Saturday.
Guinea still clinches the fourth African spot at the Olympic Games in Paris, but they must win a playoff against an Asian opponent, which is yet to be determined.
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Source: Omanghana.com
