Youssef Ali strike puts Egypt Under-17s on the brink of continental finals

Egypt Under-17s moved closer to qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations Under-17 after a 1-0 victory over Morocco in the second round of the North Africa qualifiers.

Youssef Ali scored the only goal in the 11th minute at the Olympic Stadium in Sousse, Tunisia, with a powerful effort from outside the penalty area. His strike came just one minute after Mohamed Mostafa “Costa” had missed a penalty awarded by Algerian referee Mohamed Rafiq Aouina for a foul on Omar Shaboun.

The result gave Egypt a second successive win and strengthened their position at the top of the qualifying standings. They now have six points from two matches under head coach Abdel Sattar Sabry.

Egypt began their campaign by beating Tunisia before overcoming Morocco, leaving them in a strong position ahead of their final fixture. Their victory also came against one of the teams competing directly for one of the two qualification places available from the regional tournament.

Tunisia also recorded a convincing victory over Algeria in the second round, keeping both sides in contention for a place in the finals.

Algeria had opened their campaign with a win against Morocco, meaning the qualification race remains undecided despite Egypt’s perfect start. Egypt will meet Algeria on Monday in the final round, seeking to maintain their advantage and finish the tournament with a result that confirms their push for qualification.

The match is particularly important for Algeria, who need to recover from their defeat by Tunisia and keep alive their hopes of securing one of the two available places.

The North Africa qualifiers feature four teams: Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Libya withdrew from the competition. The top two teams will qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations Under-17, which is scheduled to be held in Morocco.

Egypt will hope to turn their excellent start into qualification when they face Algeria in their final match.