Home > Sport > Morocco U23 Secures Olympic Spot with Narrow Win Over Mali in AFCON Semi-Final
Morocco U23 Secures Olympic Spot with Narrow Win Over Mali in AFCON Semi-Final
Wednesday 5 July 2023, by
The Moroccan U23 team narrowly defeated a tenacious Malian team in the semi-final of the U23 Africa Cup of Nations (U23 AFCON). Here are the main statements of the coach Issam Charraï.
"I congratulate the players, the match was very difficult, we knew that Mali is a tough team. The most important thing is the victory, we have achieved the first objective, namely the qualification for the Olympics. Of course, there are things to correct, but that’s to be discussed later," said the national coach:
"We must not forget that Mali is a strong team. The players fought hard until the end," said Charaï, who recalls that his team started the match well before Mali regained possession of the field. "We started the match well and scored a goal. We had to continue on our momentum, but the Malians started playing in depth. We tried some tactical changes, but we ended up conceding the equalizing goal. Our mistake was to play behind, which gave them more confidence."
The final of the U23 AFCON will be played on Saturday at the Moulay Abdallah Complex in Rabat, pitting Morocco against Egypt, who qualified by beating Guinea 1-0. The top three finishers of the 2023 U23 AFCON edition will earn their places for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl-SvMJMxBs