Morocco made history on home soil on Saturday after beating Mali on penalties to win their first-ever U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
Goalkeeper Chouaib Bellaarouch emerged as the hero of the final game that took place in Mohammedia after saving two penalties in the shoot-out.
The tightly-contested game ended in a goalless draw, with Mali dominating proceedings but they failed to convert their chances in regular time.
The final battle for the silverware lived up to expectations as both teams showcased their qualities in defence and attack.
Illies Belmokhtar scored the match-winning penalty in the end as Morocco converted all their four attempts and Mali missed two penalty kicks.
The defeat denied the Young Eagles of Mali a record third AFCON U17 title and their first since the 2017 success.
Morocco dominate AFCON U17 individual awards
Contrastingly, Moroccans inside the El Bachir Stadium relived their country’s historic success in the age-grade competition as their players scooped all individual awards.
Ajax youngster, Abdellah Ouazane was named the Player of the Tournament as a reward for his outstanding skills as a playmaker in Morocco’s midfield.
Bellaarouch was undisputedly named the Goalkeeper of the Tournament as a result of his heroic saves against Ivory Coast in the semi-final and Mali in the final.
He was also honoured as the Man of the Match for Saturday’s final game in Mohammedia.
Morocco’s Nabil Baha also edged his Malian counterpart, Adama Diefla Diallo, to the Coach of the Tournament award as Mali settled for just the Fair Play Award.
Meanwhile, Burkina Faso’s Ashsaraf Tapsoba and Ivory Coast’s Alynho Haidara went home with the Golden Boot with seven goals apiece.
Morocco’s emergence as a force in African Football
Morocco’s latest success in the AFCON U17 is a testament to the North Africans’ strides in football development on the African continent.
They are taking the front seat in Africa’s football and will be hosting the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) later this year, as well as the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in October.
The Atlas Lions will be leading nine other African countries to the FIFA U-17 World Cup that will take place in Qatar from November 3-27, 2025.
The other countries are Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Zambia, Egypt and Uganda.
The newly-expanded U17 World Cup will feature 48 teams instead of the former 24-team format and Africa will be hoping to present a new winner as five-time champions Nigeria and two-time winners Ghana failed to qualify for the showpiece in Qatar.
