AFCON U17: Egypt reach semi-finals after seeing off Côte d’Ivoire in 4-1 win

Egypt U-17 booked their place in the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 after an emphatic 4-1 victory over Côte d’Ivoire U-17 on Sunday night.

Mokhtar Leads Egypt’s First-Half Blitz

The young Pharaohs delivered a ruthless attacking performance, with Khaled Mokhtar scoring twice as Egypt dominated the opening half and took firm control of the quarter-final encounter.

Egypt thought they had grabbed an early lead in the 11th minute when Mokhtar found the net, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

The forward eventually got his goal in the 29th minute after being set up brilliantly by Mohamed Hamed.

Egypt Take Complete Control Before the Break

Egypt continued to pile pressure on the Ivorians and doubled their advantage in the 38th minute through Abdelrahman Beshir, who finished off an assist from Safwat Ali.

Just before half-time, Mokhtar struck again to complete a dream opening period for the Egyptians. His second goal arrived in first-half stoppage time after a clever pass from Mohamed Gamal, sending Egypt into the break with a commanding 3-0 lead.

Côte d’Ivoire Respond but Egypt Stay Strong

Côte d’Ivoire U-17 attempted to fight their way back into the match after the restart and reduced the deficit in the 54th minute through Broulaye Cisse, who calmly converted from the penalty spot.

The Ivorians made several attacking substitutions as they searched for momentum, but Egypt remained organised defensively and dangerous on the counterattack.

Saoudi Seals Convincing Victory

Any hopes of a comeback were ended in the 84th minute when Zeyad Saoudi added Egypt’s fourth goal to cap off a dominant performance and confirm qualification for the last four.

Semi-Final Clash Awaits

The victory sends Egypt into a semi-final showdown against Tanzania U-17 on Thursday, May 28, at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.

Meanwhile, hosts Morocco U-17 will face Senegal U-17 in the other semi-final clash.

For Côte d’Ivoire, the defeat marked a disappointing end to an impressive campaign after topping Group B unbeaten, but they ultimately struggled to contain Egypt’s clinical finishing in the final third.