CAN U23: Morocco join Egypt in the final and qualify for the Olympic Games

The national Under-23 team qualified for the final of the competition after beating Mali on penalties this Tuesday evening at the Complexe Moulay Abdallah in Rabat.

The result secures Morocco’s ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In a complicated match, in which the psychological ascendancy changed sides at each half, the Moroccan team twice took the lead, but were unable to hold on to it, before going on to seal the fate of the game on penalties.

For this fateful encounter, Morocco’s U23 coach Issam Charaï opted to field the same starting eleven as in the benchmark match against Ghana (5-1 victory), with the exception of Riad Chadi, who started against Congo and replaced Ayman El Wafi.

However, this winning recipe was far from reproducing the dream scenario expected.

Faced with an ultra-defensive Malian side, the Moroccans broke the deadlock early on (14th), thanks to Zakaria Ouahdi who, well served by Saibari on the right flank, found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper and opened the scoring with a powerful shot.

The result of a fine combination from midfield that caught the Malian defence off-guard, who were more focused on Ezzalzouli on the other side of the pitch, this goal put an end to the Malians’ 15-minute stalemate and plunged the match into a bitter midfield battle.

On resumption, the national team had to resist, as best they could, enormous pressure from the Malians, culminating in an equaliser from Mamady Diambou (66th) who, free of any marker, placed the ball into the Moroccan top corner.

Visibly affected by the equaliser, the Moroccan team struggled to find their feet and impose their game. However, the players had to draw on their mental and physical resources to find the strength to resist and give themselves a few moments of strength, particularly during extra time.

The players’ efforts finally paid off in the 108th minute, when Amine El Ouazzani headed home Younes Taha El Idrissi’s cross. Initially disallowed, the saving goal was finally confirmed after a VAR call.

Two minutes later, however, Issoufou Maiga (116th) scored Mali’s equaliser, setting the record straight once again (2-2) and forcing a penalty shoot-out, which ultimately went in Morocco’s favour (4-3).

In the final, scheduled for Saturday in Rabat, the Moroccan team will face the Egyptian Olympic team, which qualified after beating Guinea 1-0 (half-time 1-0) in the afternoon at the Grand Stade de Tanger.

The top three finishers at the 2023 edition of the CAN U23 will earn their tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The fourth-placed team will also be able to take part, but will have to go through an intercontinental play-off against an Asian nation.

Morocco has already taken part in the Olympic Games soccer tournament seven times (1964, 1972, 1984, 1992, 2000, 2004, 2012), and its best performance came in 1972, when it reached the 2nd round.