Morocco U23 held by Mali in AFCON preparation friendly

Morocco’s Under-23 side were held to a 1-1 draw by Mali in a friendly as they continued preparations for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

The two teams met on Thursday at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium, where Amir Bouhamdi scored Morocco’s only goal in the match.

Bouhamdi put the hosts ahead in the 37th minute, but Morocco were unable to turn their advantage into a victory as Mali secured a draw.

The fixture formed part of Morocco’s preparations for their upcoming U23 AFCON qualifying campaign, with the team scheduled to face Ethiopia in November.

Morocco continue preparations for qualifiers

The match against Mali was arranged to help Morocco prepare for two competitive fixtures against Ethiopia.

The Atlas Lions’ U23 side are due to meet Ethiopia in November in the first round of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations.

The finals of the competition are scheduled to take place in Egypt.

The draw against Mali therefore provided Morocco with another opportunity to prepare their squad before the qualifiers begin.

Bouhamdi puts Morocco ahead

Morocco took the lead through Bouhamdi in the 37th minute.

The midfielder’s goal gave the home side a one-goal advantage and put them in front before half-time.

However, the hosts were unable to preserve their lead for the remainder of the match.

Mali found a way back into the contest and eventually secured a 1-1 draw at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium.

The result meant Morocco had to settle for a draw despite taking the lead during the first half.

Focus turns to Ethiopia

Morocco’s attention will now remain on preparations for their two matches against Ethiopia in November.

Those fixtures will be their first-round qualifiers for the U23 Africa Cup of Nations, with Egypt set to host the finals.

The friendly against Mali has given the Moroccan coaching staff another match in which to assess the team ahead of those competitive fixtures.

The draw also means Morocco leave the Moulay El Hassan Stadium without a win, although the match served its primary purpose of providing preparation for the upcoming qualifying campaign.

A test before competitive football

The meeting with Mali offered Morocco an opportunity to work on their preparations before the pressure of the qualifiers begins.

Bouhamdi’s 37th-minute goal provided the hosts with the breakthrough, but Mali’s response ensured that Morocco could not finish the evening with a victory.

The 1-1 scoreline leaves the Moroccan U23 side with further work to do before their November meetings with Ethiopia.

With the Africa Cup of Nations U23 finals scheduled to be played in Egypt, Morocco will now continue preparing for the first round of qualifying.

The two November matches against Ethiopia will determine the next stage of Morocco’s route towards the tournament.

For now, the draw with Mali represents another step in that preparation, with the Moroccan side continuing to build towards the competitive fixtures ahead.