In a thrilling encounter at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, Egypt, Morocco demonstrated its football prowess by defeating Algeria 3-1 in the North African Football Union (UNAF) U20 tournament, a qualifier for the upcoming CAN U20 scheduled for next year in Ghana. This match marked the third day of the UNAF U20 qualifying campaign, and Morocco's victory is a significant boost to their aspirations of securing a spot in the tournament.
Strong Start by Algeria
The match began with Algeria taking the initiative, as Mouhammad Valmy set the tone early on. At just 16 years old, the Rennes prodigy capitalized on a Moroccan defensive error near the penalty area, prompting a deflected shot that went for a corner kick in the 9th minute. Two minutes later, Saad Boussadia of Lille tested the Moroccan defense with another shot that was expertly saved by Chouaib Bellaarouch, the Moroccan goalkeeper. The Algerian side was clearly on the offensive, pressing hard against their rivals and creating significant opportunities, including a tense moment in the 12th minute when a Moroccan defender narrowly avoided conceding a goal from a left-side shot.
However, Morocco began to respond as the match progressed, with Ilies Belmokhtar of Monaco creating a chance in the 15th minute. The young winger attempted to capitalize on a corner kick situation but was thwarted by Mohammed El Koubi, Algeria's goalkeeper. As the first half continued, the Atlas Lions increased their intensity, with Hamza Raji missing a golden opportunity just before halftime, shooting over the bar when he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper after a well-placed cross from Belmokhtar.
Morocco's Clinical Performance
Following the halftime break, Morocco came out with a renewed sense of purpose, and it did not take long for them to take control of the match. Sami Bouhoudane opened the scoring for Morocco in the 53rd minute with a powerful shot that found the back of the net under the crossbar, following a great assist from Safouane Benzahra, who had just come on as a substitute. Just three minutes later, Bouhoudane turned from scorer to provider, heading the ball to Mohamed Mounssef, who finished easily into an empty net as he capitalized on a missed clearance from the Algerian defense.
The Moroccan onslaught continued, and Ilyas Hidaoui sealed the victory with a well-placed header from a free kick delivered by Belmokhtar in the 64th minute, putting Morocco firmly in control with a 3-0 lead. Algeria struggled to respond, but they managed to salvage some pride late in the game when Amdjed Niou found the net in the 84th minute with a precise shot that beat Bellaarouch, bringing the score to 3-1.
Despite late attempts by Algeria to narrow the gap further, including a close-range effort that was saved by Bellaarouch and a missed opportunity from Mohamed Mehdi Meziane, the match concluded with Morocco celebrating a crucial victory. This win marks Morocco's first triumph in the UNAF U20 qualifiers after a previous draw against Tunisia, while Algeria must now secure a positive result against Egypt to keep their qualification hopes alive. Morocco will also be aiming to build on this momentum in their upcoming matches against Egypt and Libya to ensure their place in the final tournament.
As reported by afrik-foot.com.
