Africa: Morocco and Egypt Reach TotalEnergies U-17 Afcon Quarter-Finals After Dramatic Group a Finale

Morocco finished top of Group A at the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations after beating Egypt 2-1 on a dramatic final day that also saw Ethiopia eliminate Tunisia with a stoppage-time victory on Tuesday night.

The hosts secured first place in the group and a quarter-final spot with a strong first-half display against Egypt, who still progressed to the last eight despite the defeat.

Both Morocco and Egypt also confirmed their places at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, while Ethiopia must now go through the play-off route after narrowly missing out on automatic qualification.

Tunisia, beaten 1-0 by Ethiopia in Salé, were knocked out of the competition after failing to win any of their group matches.

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Morocco made their intentions clear early in their North African meeting with Egypt, taking the lead through Mohamed Amine Moustache in the 18th minute.

The Atlas Cubs then doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time whenImrane Talai struck in the 45+2 minute to give Morocco control of the contest.

Egypt responded shortly after the restart, with Mohamed El Sayed pulling a goal back in the 49th minute.

But Morocco held firm for the remainder of the match to protect their lead and finish the group stage unbeaten at the top of the standings.

Egypt's defeat did not stop them from advancing, as their earlier results were enough to secure second place ahead of Ethiopia on goal difference.

In the other Group A fixture, Ethiopia produced one of the most dramatic moments of the day when Binyam Abrah scored in the 90+3 minute to seal a 1-0 win over Tunisia.

The match appeared to be heading for a draw before Misbah's late intervention gave Ethiopia a famous victory and kept their hopes of reaching the World Cup alive.

The result moved Ethiopia level with Egypt on four points, but Egypt finished second because of their better goal difference.

Ethiopia therefore ended the group in third place and will now enter the play-offs, where they will have another chance to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

For Tunisia, the late goal brought a painful end to a disappointing campaign, leaving them bottom of the group and out of the tournament.

The final Group A standings confirmed Morocco as group winners, Egypt as runners-up, Ethiopia in third place and Tunisia eliminated.

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Scorers: Amine Mohamed Moustache 18', Imrane Talai 45+2' / Mohamed El Sayed 49'

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