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Rabat – The Moroccan U-23 national football team will face their Malian counterparts on Tuesday in the semi-finals of the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), currently being hosted in the North African country.
The match will be played on Tuesday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat at 9pm GMT+1.
Morocco secured its spot in the semi-finals after beating Congo in the third group stage match 1-0, and Mali winning against Niger 2-0 on Saturday evening at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
Moroccan forward Younes Taha opened the scoring against Congo in the 7th minute, ranking Morocco top of Group A with nine points.
The goals on the third day of Group B on the Malian side were scored by Mamadou Sangare in the 49th minute from a penalty kick, and Cheickna Doumbia in the 90th minute.
With this victory, Mali ranked second in Group B with six points, behind Egypt, who finished the group stage with seven points.
The other semi-final will be played between Egypt and Guinea.
The top three teams in the 2023 edition of the U-23 AFCON will qualify directly for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The team placed fourth will play an intercontinental play-off against a team from Asia.
Abde Ezzalzouli, a star striker for Morocco who has scored three goals in the tournament so far, will be crucial in the upcoming game as the team is trying to qualify for the Paris Olympics, CAF’s official website pointed out.
The team’s coach Issame Charai stressed the importance of the game, saying, “We treat every match as if it were a final because our goal is to qualify for the Olympics and clinch the title.”
