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Rabat — Morocco’s U-20 team defeated Tunisia 3-1 on Wednesday in the third round of Group B matches at the Africa Cup of Nations for under-20 players. The exciting contest took place at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia, kicking off at 4:00 p.m. local time.
The Atlas Lions started their tournament with an exciting 3-2 victory over Kenya last Thursday in the opening round of the group. They followed this with a goalless draw against Nigeria in their second match. Nigeria had previously beaten Tunisia 1-0 in the first round, but they bounced back in their second match with a convincing 3-1 win over Kenya.
First Half: Tunisia dominates early
Tunisia wasted no time in creating danger. In the fourth minute, they launched their first threatening attack with a powerful shot that narrowly missed the post.
The Tunisians maintained early pressure, repeatedly threatening Morocco’s goal in search of an early lead. In the tenth minute, Mohamed Anan broke through into the penalty area and fired a powerful shot toward the difficult corner, but goalkeeper Ben Chaouch made an excellent save to deny Tunisia.
Tunisia continued to press the Moroccan goal through the first 14 minutes, while Morocco made modest attempts to counter, with the score remaining 0-0.
The match dynamic began to shift around the 20-minute mark when Moroccan players pushed forward from their defensive positions to launch attacks on Tunisia’s goal.
By the 25-minute mark, both teams exchanged pressure points – Tunisia intensified attacks, while Morocco responded with quick counterattacks, though neither team could break the deadlock.
Morocco created consecutive chances around the 30-minute mark, but lacked the finishing touch. A minute later, Houssam Sadiq fired a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, but the Tunisian goalkeeper brilliantly saved what looked like a certain goal.
Tunisia pushed hard in the final minutes of the half, but struggled to penetrate Morocco’s solid defensive wall.
Play briefly stopped in the 38th minute when Tunisian player Khalil Al-Ayari needed medical attention for an injury.
Despite Tunisia showing more threat in the closing minutes, Morocco struck first in the 44th minute when Ayman Arguigue scored with a powerful header, giving Morocco a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Second Half: goals and drama
Morocco started the second half on the front foot, nearly doubling their advantage in the 47th minute when Adam Al-Mukhtari broke through and fired a shot, but the Tunisian goalkeeper closed down the angle to prevent a second goal.
Tunisia equalized in the 53rd minute through Anis Doubal, whose shot deflected off Moroccan defender Hamza Cotton before finding the net.
The Tunisian team intensified their attacks on the Moroccan goal around the 60-minute mark, while the Atlas Lions U-20 responded with quick counterattacks, with the score tied at 1-1 after an hour of play.
Tunisia looked more dangerous in the first 15 minutes of the second half, maintaining continuous pressure on Morocco’s goal. In the 67th minute, Morocco launched a dangerous counterattack when Dandani broke free with the ball and sent a cross into the penalty area, but no one was there to convert the chance.
The Moroccan players showed signs of fatigue in the following minutes, while Tunisia made three substitutions at once to add more effectiveness to their lines. Morocco’s defense fought desperately against Tunisia’s attempts and successfully prevented them from scoring.
Tunisia pushed hard for a winning goal in the closing minutes, but Morocco’s defense remained organized and alert. In the 86th minute, Ismail Bakhty scored the go-ahead goal for Morocco, capitalizing on a mistake by the Tunisian defense.
At minute 90+2, after a mistake from a Tunisian striker, El-Abdellaoui scored Morocco’s third goal, bringing it home.
