The Moroccan national team U23 has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations final, which entitles them to participate in the Summer Olympic Games in Paris next year. This follows their 4-3 penalty shootout triumph over the Malian national team on Tuesday night at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat in the semi-final encounter.
The match ended in a 2-2 draw after both teams played extra time.
Morocco opened the scoring of the game in the 14th minute when Zakaria Al Wahidi’s converted on a spectacular pass from Ismail Al-Savari.
In the half time, Mali’s team succeeded in equalizing in the 66th minute with a goal from Mamadou Diambou, leading to a final regulation score of 2-2, thus forcing the match into extra time.
In the extra period, Morocco scored their second goal in the 108th minute with Amin El-Wazani’s goal, but this was equalized in the 116th minute by Mali’s Mayega. The result was then decided by a penalty shootout in favor of the Moroccan national team.
In the final match, Morocco will face Egypt, which qualified at the expense of the the Guinean team with a 1-0 result.