AFCON U17: Morocco join Senegal in first-ever final pairing
In the AFCON U17, Morocco and Mali could not find a way through in 90 minutes of this semi-final. Morocco won on penalties.
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Until then, Morocco and Mali had scored at least one goal in every game they had played in the competition. Even in their 2-1 defeat to Zambia, when they had already booked their place in the quarter-finals and rotated their squad, the Atlas Cubs had found the net. But on Sunday 14 May, against the Eaglets' watertight defence, they were kept out for 90 minutes.
As in the first semi-final, a penalty shoot-out was needed to separate the two sides. The Moroccans were the more accurate from the spot (6-5). Mali will rue what might have been, as they had two match points after Morocco missed their 2nd and 3rd attempts. They failed to take advantage. They then missed their 8th kick. Zahouani had no such problem, scoring the winning penalty to send Morocco into the final. Mali, winners in 2015 and 2017, will therefore not play in a 3rd AFCON U17 final this year.
In the final, the Atlas Cubs will face Senegal, who beat Burkina Faso (1-1, 5-4 on penalties). It is a first-ever pairing at this stage of the competition. The two nations have never played in an AFCON U17 final. There will therefore be a new name on the roll of honour next Friday. For Senegal, it would mean total dominance across all CAF competitions, with the exception of the U23s. And Morocco, if they win it, will be the first North African side to be crowned champions of Africa since Egypt in 1997 in Botswana.
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