Algeria defeat Morocco in UNAF Under-17 opener as Atlas Cubs’ qualification is unaffected

Algeria Under-17s made a winning start to the North African Football Union (UNAF) qualifying tournament for the Africa Cup of Nations Under-17 by beating Morocco 1-0 on Tuesday.

The match was played at the Olympic Stadium in Sousse, Tunisia, where Algeria prevailed in the opening-round meeting between two of the leading sides competing for qualification to the continental tournament, which will be held in Morocco.

The only goal came in the 41st minute after an impressive individual move from Daoud Belagraa. The Algeria forward carried a counter-attack down the left before using a controlled touch to evade Nouham Varela.

He then moved past Ilyas Houira with a dribble and played the ball into the centre towards Ilyas Ziane. Ziane had made a well-timed run behind Rayan Saloul and found himself one-on-one with Morocco goalkeeper Iyad Hamzi.

The Algeria forward lifted his finish over Hamzi to give his side the lead, which they held on to secure three points in the opening fixture.

The result also gave Algeria revenge for their 3-0 defeat by Morocco in the previous edition of the tournament. They move temporarily to the top of the standings, pending the meeting between Tunisia and Egypt.

Algeria will play Tunisia next Monday, with victory in that match enough to secure their place in the final stage of the qualification process.

Morocco, meanwhile, will look to respond against Egypt in their next match before ending their campaign against Tunisia.

Despite the defeat, Morocco’s place at the Africa Cup of Nations Under-17 is not at risk because they will host the tournament and have already qualified automatically. The remaining teams in the UNAF competition are competing for qualification places.