Egypt Under-17s close in on Africa qualification after Morocco win

Egypt Under-17s moved closer to reaching the Africa Cup of Nations Under-17 finals with a 1-0 victory over Morocco in the second round of the North Africa qualifiers in Sousse, Tunisia.

Youssef Ali scored the decisive goal in the 11th minute at the Olympic Stadium with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area, securing Egypt’s second successive win in the competition.

Egypt had been awarded a penalty just one minute earlier after Omar Shaboun was fouled. However, Mohamed Mustafa “Kosta” was unable to convert from the spot after the decision by Algerian referee Mohamed Rafiq Ouaina.

The result leaves Egypt top of the qualifying standings with six points from two matches, giving manager Abdel Sattar Sabry’s side a perfect start.

Egypt opened their campaign by beating Tunisia before following up with victory against Morocco. The win over Morocco also gave them an important advantage over two direct rivals for the qualification places with one match remaining.

The final round of fixtures will play a major role in determining which teams finish in the two qualifying positions. Egypt will face Algeria on Monday, aiming to complete the group stage with another positive result and strengthen their hopes of reaching the continental finals.

Algeria will also have plenty at stake. They are seeking to recover from their defeat by Tunisia and keep alive their challenge for one of the two available places.

Tunisia beat Algeria convincingly in the other second-round match, keeping their own qualification bid on course. Algeria had begun the qualifiers with a victory over Morocco, meaning the battle for progression remains open despite Egypt’s lead.

The North Africa qualifying tournament features four teams: Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Libya withdrew from the competition. The top two finishers will qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations Under-17 finals, which are scheduled to be held in Morocco.

Egypt will hope their strong opening can carry them through the decisive final round and secure their place in the tournament.