Morocco crowned U-17 AFCON Champions after penalty shootout victory over Mali

Morocco won the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations title after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Mali (4-0), champions in 2015 and 2017. The regular time ended with a goalless draw in regular time, after the Malians had a goal disallowed due to a handball.

This marks Morocco’s first-ever title in the U17 AFCON category.

Despite numerous chances from both sides, the score remained level throughout the match. During the penalty shootout, Moroccan goalkeeper Chouaib Bellaarouch was instrumental in keeping his team in the game, standing out again by saving two penalties.

At the end of the final, Belaarouch was named by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Man of the Match and later received the Golden Glove award during the medal awarding ceremony. Abdellah Ouazzane was honored with the Best Player of the Tournament award.

On Friday, Côte d’Ivoire secured third place in the tournament by defeating Burkina Faso 4–1 on penalties (1–1 after regular time).