U23 AFCON: Egypt leapfrog Mali to go top in group B

Egypt have boosted their qualification chances after beating Mali 1-0 to go top of Group B of the 2023 u-23 africa cup of nations.

The young pharaohs had opened their 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a disappointing 0-0 draw with Niger.

Their next game came up against group leaders Mali and the Egyptians knew they have no other option but to win if they want to keep their chances of reaching the semi-finals alive.

Egypt XI: Hamza Alaa, Ahmed Eid, Mohamed Tarek, Hossam Abdelmegiud, Hatem Mohamed; Ahmed Atef, Ahmed Nabil kouka, Mohamed Shehata, Mahmoud Saber; Osama Faisal, Ibrahim Adel.

The Pharaohs were the better side from early on and they didn’t take long to open the scoring when skipper Ibrahim Adel was sent through by Osama Faisal, before slotting the ball brilliantly in the top left corner.

Egypt had a couple of more chances to double their scoring through Mahmoud Saber and Osama Faisal, but the first-half eventually ended in a 1-0 lead.

Ten minutes into the second-half, Mali almost got the equaliser, but Cheick Chérif Doumbia’s header rebounded off Hamza Alaa’s woodwork.

A minute later, Mali’s Mamady Diambou was given his marching order after being shown a second yellow card.

The rest of the second-half was all Egypt, and could have easily scored a second goal, especially in the 72nd minute when Kouka missed an open goal chance.

Eventually, the Egyptians managed to hold onto their lead and secured a tough 1-0 win, which sent them top of the table.

Egypt now lead lead group B with four points alongside Niger, who have knocked out Gabon with a 1-0 win, while Mali sit third with three points.

Roger Micale’s men’s next game will see them face already knocked out Gabon, who sit bottom with zero points, on July 1.

A draw for Egypt would be enough to qualify for the semi-finals; however, a win would ensure their top spot and avoid a clash with hosts Morocco in the next round.

The 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations is currently being held in Morocco from 24 June to 8 July, with Egypt entering as the defending champions.

The competition act as a qualifier for the 2024 Summer Olympics as the finalists and third-place playoff winner make the tournament in Paris, while the 4th-placed team will enter the AFC–caf playoff to decide the final Olympic slot.