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Rabat - Morocco’s U17 national team suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Senegal on Thursday night after a dramatic penalty shootout in the semifinals of the U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at Stade Moulay El Hassan in Rabat.
Senegal had taken the lead in the 23rd minute through Wagner and looked on their way to the final for much of the night. The hosts thought they had scored a second before halftime, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review in the 38th minute.
Morocco struggled to find space against Senegal’s compact defense but kept fighting until the very end. Deep into stoppage time, the Atlas Cubs were awarded a penalty that completely changed the match.
El Aoud stepped up, but his first attempt was saved by the Senegal goalkeeper. The Moroccan midfielder reacted quickly, however, and scored the rebound to make it 1-1 and send the stadium into celebration.
The match then moved to a tense and exhausting penalty shootout filled with twists from both sides.
Morocco goalkeeper Rayan Yaakoubi gave his team an early advantage by saving Senegal’s first penalty. But after Morocco scored its opening kick, Senegal’s goalkeeper responded by saving Morocco’s second penalty, then stopped another shortly after.
The pressure kept building as both goalkeepers continued to make important saves. Senegal also missed one of its penalties after Yaakoubi denied their fourth attempt, keeping Morocco alive in the shootout.
The drama continued until the very last kick. With everything on the line, Morocco’s tenth penalty, taken by Ellaky, was saved by the Senegal goalkeeper, sealing qualification for Senegal after an intense battle.
The defeat was a cruel ending for the young Atlas Lions, who had fought back and were backed by strong home support throughout the night.
Senegal now advances to the U17 AFCON final, where it will face Tanzania.
