Morocco continues its perfect run at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations. On Monday in Cairo, the Atlas Lions secured their spot in the semi-finals by narrowly defeating Sierra Leone 1-0 after extra time, in a tightly contested quarter-final. It took until the extra period for Ilias Bouamassoudi to break the deadlock, in a match that remained locked at 0-0 after 90 minutes.
Thanks to this victory, Mohamed Ouahbi’s players also secured their qualification for the U20 World Cup, set to take place in Chile from September 27 to October 19, 2025.
At the post-match press conference, the Moroccan coach expressed his satisfaction while emphasizing the difficulty of the match:
“It’s a well-deserved victory. We could have won before extra time. It was a difficult match, as we expected. If you look at all the quarter-finals, they’re all complicated, always very tight.”
The coach also praised his players’ response after a disappointing first half:
“In the second half, we really blocked them well, we prevented them from being dangerous. We created chances, we were patient, we found the free man in midfield, and we were able to create space. I saw the team I knew before the tournament. We’re happy with the qualification, and now we’ll need to recover well to prepare for the semi-final. We want to go all the way.”
Mohamed Ouahbi admitted that he wasn’t surprised by Sierra Leone’s tactical approach:
“They played like we expected. I wasn’t surprised by their qualities or their weaknesses.”
However, he admitted that he raised his voice at half-time:
“I was very angry at half-time. It’s maybe the first time in two years that I’ve been this upset. We could have done better, found the free man, built from the back. And right from the start of the second half, it was much better. I must also say that Sierra Leone has good players, real individuals. They send a lot of balls into the final third, and it’s very hard to defend, but we held firm. It was a very intense match.”
Next up is a fiery semi-final against the host nation, Egypt, on Thursday, May 15, at 8:00 PM local time. It’s a familiar clash for the Lion Cubs, who have already faced the Pharaohs in the UNAF tournament:
“It’s a very good team. What I like about them is their character. They have good players, tactically well-organized, and are physically strong. They can dominate their opponent, or unsettle them when they can’t. It’s never easy to face them. But we’re not afraid of anyone.”
The other semi-final will see South Africa face Nigeria, also on the same day at 5:00 PM.
