Morocco and Algeria renew rivalry with historic bronze at stake in Women’s Africa Cup of Nations

Morocco and Algeria will meet in a North African derby for the bronze medal at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, with both nations seeking a first third-place finish in the competition. The match will be played at the Stade Olympique de Rabat, with live commentary available on Afrik-Foot from 19:00 France time (GMT+2).

The fixture gives Algeria the chance to claim the first major tournament medal in their history. Morocco, meanwhile, must recover from the disappointment of falling short on home soil after reaching the final in each of the previous two editions of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

The teams are facing one another for the second time at this year’s tournament. Their first meeting came in the group stage on 30 July, when Morocco edged a tight contest 1-0. Sanaa Mssoudy scored the decisive goal in the 84th minute, a result which helped the hosts finish top of Group A.

Morocco collected seven points from their three group matches, one more than Algeria. The Atlas Lionesses began with a 4-0 victory over Kenya before drawing 0-0 with Senegal. Algeria defeated Senegal 2-0 and then secured their qualification by beating Kenya 2-0.

Both sides progressed through the quarter-finals but saw their hopes of reaching the final ended in the last four.

Morocco overcame South Africa 2-1 in the quarter-finals, with Sakina Ouzraoui and Hanane Ait El Haj scoring for Jorge Vilda’s side. Their semi-final against Cameroon ended goalless after extra time, but Cameroon prevailed 3-1 on penalties.

There was particular frustration for Morocco after Fatima Tagnaout missed from the spot in the 117th minute of extra time. The penalty proved costly as the hosts were unable to find a breakthrough before the shootout.

Algeria also came from behind to win their quarter-final, beating Cote d’Ivoire 2-1. Ines Khiri and Amira Ould Braham scored from long-range efforts after Cote d’Ivoire had taken the lead.

The Fennecs then faced Malawi in the semi-finals, where their progress was halted in a 3-1 defeat after they were reduced to 10 players. Ikram Adjabi briefly revived Algeria’s hopes after half-time by reducing the deficit to 2-1, but Malawi went on to secure their place in the final.

The third-place play-off now offers both teams an opportunity to finish the tournament with a landmark achievement. Morocco are attempting to turn the disappointment of another failed final push into a positive conclusion, while Algeria are pursuing a bronze medal that would represent the best finish in their history.

The match will be followed live by Afrik-Foot from 19:00 France time (GMT+2).

Romain Lantheaume has followed African football since becoming interested in the game through Didier Drogba and discovering Afrik-Foot in 2013.