The Egypt U20 National Team suffered a 2-1 defeat against Morocco in their opening match at the U20 North African Championship.
The match marked Rogério Micale’s debut as head coach of the U20 squad. Egypt was forced into an early substitution in the 5th minute when Selim Teleb left the field, replaced by Abdelrahman Fares. The first half saw Egypt dominate possession but fail to create significant chances. In the 40th minute, Morocco took the lead through a goal by Said Haddad.
Egypt responded strongly in the second half, with Mohamed Samir equalizing in the 50th minute. Despite maintaining possession, the Pharaohs couldn’t find the net for a second goal. Instead, Morocco regained the lead in the 69th minute with a strike from Othmane Maamma. Egypt pushed forward in search of another equalizer but failed to break through, with the match ending 2-1 in Morocco’s favor.
The U20 North African Championship follows a round-robin format, with all five participating teams; Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, and Tunisia, facing each other. The top two teams will secure qualification for the U20 Africa Cup of Nations.
All matches are being held in Egypt, with games taking place in Suez and Ismailia.
In another tournament match, Tunisia defeated Libya 2-1, leaving Tunisia and Morocco at the top of the standings with three points each after one match.
Egypt’s next game is against Algeria on Sunday, November 17, 2024, at 8 PM CET.