Morocco have booked their place at the CAN U20 after beating hosts Egypt 2-0 in the Union North African Football (UNAF) tournament on Saturday.
The result at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia secured top spot for Morocco and confirmed their qualification with one match still to play. The CAN U20 is scheduled to take place in Ghana next year.
Morocco began their campaign with a goalless draw against Tunisia before recording a 3-1 victory over Algeria. Their win against Egypt came in the fourth round of the UNAF qualifying tournament.
Both goals were scored during a dominant first half, with Morocco finding the net twice in an eight-minute spell.
Adam Baallal of Saint-Etienne opened the scoring in the 25th minute. He met a free-kick delivered from the left by Safouane Benzahra of Monaco and headed the ball beyond the Egypt goalkeeper.
Morocco doubled their lead eight minutes later when Sami Bouhoudane ran on to a long pass, evaded his opponent on the right and calmly finished the resulting counter-attack.
The move was started by Benzahra, who again played a decisive role in Morocco’s attacking play.
Bouhoudane, who had also scored in Wednesday’s derby victory against Algeria, has now taken his tally to two goals in the North African qualifiers. The Cambuur forward is the leading scorer for the Little Atlas Lions in the tournament.
Morocco will complete their qualifying campaign against Libya on 6 October, but their position at the top of the standings means the result will not affect their place at the CAN U20.