Historic Morocco U-23 AFCON win ends 47-year wait for glory in Africa
Morocco finally ended a 47-year-long wait for silverware in the continent when they beat Egypt 2-1 to win the Under 23 Africa of Cup of Nations at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium last night.
The relief from the vociferous fans that rallied the Young Atlas across the line was visible as they celebrated well into the early hours of the morning. The victorious players led the celebrations before receiving the trophy from CAF president Patrice Motsepe.
The new heroes in the football-loving country danced around the stadium with their supporters as the country savoured one of their proudest moments since 1976 when the Atlas Lions last won AFCON.
MOROCCO U-23 AFCON WIN BRINGS RELIEF
A representative of the Morocco Football Federation, Omar Khyari, summed up the sense of relief engulfing the nation.
“Finally! We have been so close so many times to winning a major trophy at the national team level. This is a great night and a massive achievement for our country. We have waited a long time for a night like this. Many of these fans are experiencing this feeling for the first time because they were not born when Morocco last won a trophy,” he said.
The pulsating match was worthy of a final. It started to a cracking pace, with both teams eager to stamp their authority. Still, the visitors stunned the cheering Morocco fans into silence when Mahmoud Saber Abdelmohsen Hassan shot them into the lead just 10 minutes into the game.
Spurred on by the goal, the defending champions appeared to be in control of the match until goal-hero Hassan was shown a straight red card in the 18th minute.
The Young Atlas Lions used their extra man to fight back, but the Young Pharaohs’ defence stood resolute for nearly 20 minutes after losing a man.
OLYMPICS QUALIFICATION
Morocco hitman Yanis Begraoui finally found the equaliser with a well-worked goal in the 37th minute that sent the packed stadium into delirium.
However, the two teams were to remain deadlocked at 1-1 in regulation. It took extra time for midfielder Oussama Targhalline to find the breakthrough from a free kick with a goal that fired Morocco into the history books.
The priceless winner saw Morocco lift the trophy without losing a single game in the tournament. However, although defeated, Egypt will take solace in that their second-place finish was enough to join the new African champions at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The final Olympics spot for Africa went to third-placed Mali.
Story by Phathisani Moyo in RABAT, Morocco