Morocco and Egypt will play in the CAN U-23 final in Rabat
On 10 December 2011, the Morocco U-23 team lost the CAN final 2-1 to Gabon at the Marrakech stadium. In that tournament, Abdel Barrada was the top scorer with three goals. After that, he had brief spells in football with Getafe and Nástic Tarragona.
Since then, Morocco have not played in this tournament again because in 2015 Nigeria were the champions in Dakar and in 2019 it was the turn of Egypt who beat Ivory Coast in Cairo.
In 2023, the tournament has been moved to June and July and the two African football powerhouses will showcase their young players to the world. For the time being, both teams have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as has Spain on the European side. The third African team will be the winner of the third and fourth place match between Mali and Guinea.
The Atlas Lions reached the semi-final after winning their three group A matches against Guinea, Ghana and Congo with eight goals scored and two conceded. Egypt, on the other hand, have not been so brilliant and started with a goalless draw against Niger, but then won their other two matches against Gabon and Mali.
Morocco are reaping the rewards of their plan to promote football throughout the country. Their fourth place at the World Cup in Qatar can now be completed with the CAN U-23s and several players catapulted into big teams.
Abde is the tournament's top scorer with three goals and his future at Barcelona will depend less on his performances than on Barça's financial problems. If they sell the young Moroccan, they could extend their ability to sign new players, although president Joan Laporta has already warned Xavi that he has to rely on the youth system. With two goals is Toulouse striker Begraoui, who returns from loan at Pau FC to give his all in Ligue 1.
Egypt has a less powerful youth academy than Morocco, but their hopes are pinned on Osama Faisal, the striker of Egyptian Premier League side National Bank Egypt. There is no player who can be crowned the Pharaoh to take over from Mo Salah as the team's leader. Most play in the local league and have not made the leap to Europe.
Although the prize of the Olympic Games is already in their pockets, these young players will be looking to win their first title and open the door to top-level football in the final in Rabat. Morocco arrive with the fatigue of extra time and a penalty shoot-out in which Abde and the goalkeeper were the big heroes. Egypt have had a less tiring journey, although in this kind of match all the problems disappear.
