TANGIER, Morocco — As the CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 advances to the semi-final stage in Morocco, fans can anticipate fiercely contested matches ahead.
Hosts Morocco and Guinea emerged as the qualifiers from Group A, held in Rabat, while defending champions Egypt and Mali secured their spots from Group B in Tangier.
Egypt, despite their initial lackluster start with a goalless draw against Niger, will now face Guinea in the first semi-final clash on Tuesday in Tangier.
Morocco, finishing atop Group A with an impressive nine points, will go head-to-head against Mali also on Tuesday.
In addition to vying for the tournament trophy, the teams are also in pursuit of the three available slots for Africa in the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris next year.
Heading into the semi-final stage, Egypt boasts a solid record of seven points, having scored three goals and conceded none.
However, the defending champions must exercise caution against a tactically astute Malian team that has netted five goals while conceding two.
Rogerio Micale, coach of the Egypt U-23 team, acknowledged the challenging nature of the semi-final stage.
“Our upcoming opponents, Mali, are a formidable team, and the match will be highly demanding. We need to work hard and maintain focus for this encounter,” Micale emphasized.
Looking ahead to the semi-final stage, Micale recognized the challenges they would face against formidable opponents Guinea. “Undoubtedly, the semi-finals will be more intense, and Guinea will prove to be tough adversaries,” he added.
In their opening match, Egypt was held to a goalless draw by Niger. However, Micale’s team rebounded with a 1-0 victory against Mali.
Egypt midfielder Mahmoud Abdelmohsen Hassan was voted Man of the Match following their 2-0 win over ten-man Gabon.
The Pyramids’ player was instrumental as he helped his side to silence their opponents in their final Group B match played on Saturday.
The midfielder, who netted the first goal, said they played against a strong and determined Gabon side. “We won because we deserved it. We wanted to score early, but the Gabon team defended well,” said Hassan.
He explained that they are getting better and better as the tournament progresses.
“We are improving and hope that we shall play even in a much better way at the semi final stage against Guinea,” he added
As Egypt continues their quest to defend the title, Coach Micale and his players are determined to give their all and secure another triumph in the tournament.
Needing just a draw to advance further, Egypt cautiously approached the match against a spirited Gabon side, who had their pride to play for after losing their matches against Mali and Niger.
Abdelhady had a golden opportunity to find the lead as early as the 6th minute after doing well to beat his marker from a long ball from the back, finding himself one-on-one with the keeper but sailing his effort over the bar.
The striker was back in the picture minutes later, applying pressure to the keeper whose attempted clearance came off the striker but couldn’t make its way into the back of the net.
Gabon eventually found their rhythm and looked more comfortable on the ball as the game progressed.
Edlin Matouti, who was key in Gabon’s attacks, was unlucky not to connect with a well-taken cross by Jeremie Moussango after his cross was flicked away from the oncoming Matouti in the 30th minute.
The speedy forward remained a nuisance and almost broke the deadlock just a minute later after skinning Hossam Abdelsalam to unleash a left-footed strike that was saved by the keeper.
Coming into the second half, Egypt came out as a much more determined side as they pressed forward for the opener but were met by a highly resolute Gabonese defense that put up a good fight.
The lead was almost found by the North Africans just after the hour mark after their skipper and playmaker, Ibrahim Mohamed, showed class in an attempted flick over the keeper but was unlucky to see his effort saved.
The skipper was instrumental in another move in the 73rd minute after his defense-splitting pass made its way to Abdelhady, who fired straight into the keeper.
Egypt finally broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute after a cleverly taken corner by substitute Moustafa Sayed was perfectly teed up for Mahmoud Hassan, who fired home from the edge of the box to give his side the much-needed lead.
With minutes left to play, Abdelhady put the cherry on top for Egypt through a well-taken spot-kick after the troublesome Sayed was fouled in the box.
The victory meant the defending champions march into the semi-finals without conceding a goal in their group matches.
Morocco, buoyed by the support of their home crowd, will rely on leading striker Adessamad Ezzalzouli, who has three goals to his name, as they aim to secure quick qualification for the Olympics.
Coach Issame Charaï expressed the team’s determined approach, stating, “We treat every match as if it were a final because our goal is to qualify for the Olympics and clinch the championship title.”
To reach the knockout stage, Morocco kicked off their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Guinea, followed by a resounding 5-1 win against Ghana. They sealed their progression with a 1-0 triumph over Congo Brazzaville in a Saturday night match.
With the stage set for intense battles and coveted Olympic qualification on the line, football enthusiasts can eagerly anticipate the upcoming semi-final clashes in the U-23 AFCON.
