sportskeeda
South Africa’s U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) adventure concluded with a 3-1 loss to the host nation Morocco in the quarter-finals at Stade El Bachir on Thursday night.
Morocco, in pursuit of their inaugural title in this tournament, took an early lead in the 13th minute with a goal from Ismail El Aoud.
Neo Bohloko equalized for the Amajimbos in the 54th minute, skillfully flicking the ball over Morocco’s goalkeeper, Chouaib Bellaarouch. Representing Kaizer Chiefs, Bohloko capitalized on a well-timed assist from Emile Witbooi, who impressed throughout the tournament with a stunning run and cross from the Cape Town City squad.
Following the equalizer, Vela Khumalo’s team appeared to gain momentum, applying significant pressure on their opponents.
However, just six minutes later, Morocco reclaimed the lead with a close-range strike from Ziyad Baha, who scored after a flick-on from Ismail El Aoud.
Only two minutes later, Morocco extended their lead to 3-1 as Baha found the net for his second goal, with Abdellah Ouazane providing the assist and Baha finishing with composure past Lwandiso Radebe.
Along with his two goals, Baha posed a constant threat to the South African defense.
The match looked beyond South Africa’s reach, requiring an exceptional comeback. Although they had previously overturned a 3-1 deficit against Egypt in the group stage to win 4-3, Morocco proved to be a more formidable adversary, stifling South Africa’s attempts to fight back.
Despite the loss, South Africa achieved their primary goal of qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is set to take place in Qatar in November, the same country that hosted the senior men’s World Cup in 2022.
FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger, was present to witness the match.
Morocco will now face the winner of the quarter-final match between Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, scheduled for Friday.
