Morocco’s goalkeeper Taha Benrhozil was brilliant, saving three of eight penalties as they defeated Mali 6-5 to make their first-ever TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final at the Stade Chahid Hamlaoui on Sunday.

As a result, they will face West African giant Senegal in the final of this year’s U17 AFCON at the Stade de Nelson Mandela on Friday.

Morocco and Mali match was forced into penalties after a 0-0 stalemate in regulation time, and Benrhozil showed just why he is one of the top keepers in the tournament with three intelligent saves.

On the other hand, Senegal reached their first U17 final after surviving a penalty shoot-out to down Burkina Faso 5-4 at the 19 May 1956 Stadium in Annaba on Sunday.

The Atlas Cubs coach, Said Chiba, has said they were patient and organised after the victory. 

“We knew that we were going into a difficult game, and we needed to manage it well and ensure Mali, which is a very high-level team, does not find its rhythm and channels to attack. We played compact as to how we had planned,” the coach noted.

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At the Fifa U17 World Cup this year, Africa will be represented by these four nations Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Morocco – Three impressive sides from West Africa and one from North Africa. 

Burkina Faso and Mali joined Senegal and Morocco in the Semi-finals of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday.

Burkina Faso defeated Nigeria 2-1 at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers as two-time champions Mali thrashed Congo 3-0 in the quarter-finals in Annaba on Thursday.

Both nations progressed to the tournament to the semi-finals, as well as picking up their U17 Fifa World Cup tickets as two of the four African countries to book their places.

Aboubacar Camara’s brace was enough for the Junior Stallions. It was sweet revenge for Burkina, who lost to Nigeria via the same score-line in the final of the WAFU Zone qualifiers.

Ange Tia, Mamadou Doumbia and Mohamoud Barry got the three goals for the Malian Eagles to hand them a place in the last four and a ticket to the global showpiece.

Semi-Finals – 14 May 2023

• QF1 winner vs QF4 winner – Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium, Constantine, 17h000 local time
• QF2 winner vs QF3 winner – 19 May 1956 Stadium, Annaba, 20h00 local time

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Senegal and Morocco have qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held from 10 November to 2 December 2023 after reaching the CAF U17 Afcon semi-finals on Wednesday.

West African giant Senegal proved too strong for their counterpart as they walloped South Africa 5-0 in the quarter-final of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers on Wednesday evening. 

North African giant Morocco triumphed over their Algerian counterpart 3-0 to qualify for the semi-finals. As a result, book their place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup on Wednesday in Constantine, Algeria. 

Two own goals in the first half owned by each of South Africa’s central defenders followed up by Mamadou Sadio’s goal, and skipper Amara Diouf’s brace was more than enough as the Teranga Cubs continued with their impressive performance in the competition. 

And for the first time, Senegal has progressed beyond the group stages of the U17 AFCON.

They have also qualified for the World Cup for the second time in their history, having done so in 2019. 

Morocco, on the other hand, scored their opener 28 minutes into the game through young striker Zakaria Ouazane. He further cemented their win in the 57th minute with a second goal before Adam Chakir’s third in the 86 minutes.

Today’s Quarter-final matches 

May 11.

• Mali vs Congo – 19 May 1956 Stadium, Annaba, 17h00 local time
• Nigeria vs Burkina Faso – Nelson Mandela Stadium, Algiers, 20h00 local time

Semi-Finals – 14 May 2023

• QF1 winner vs QF4 winner – Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium, Constantine, 17h000 local time
• QF2 winner vs QF3 winner – 19 May 1956 Stadium, Annaba, 20h00 local time

Connect with us @football_sierra on Facebook/ Instagram, Football Sierra Leone, and African News.