Gabon are African U23 Champions

10/12/2011

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Gabon lift the trophy
_Gabon came from behind to beat hosts Morocco 2-1 in the final of the first ever CAF U-23 Championship on Saturday in Marrakech.

Two goals from Obiang Obiang and Allen Nono cancelled out Younes Mokhtar’s strike in the 21st minute. In an open match Gabon the surprise team of the tournament took the game to the Moroccans and once they led rode their luck to complete their fairy tale. Gabon’s victory brings them their first ever crown in a major CAF continental competition

Morocco had started brightly and put their noses in front when a delightful cross from the right flank by Yacine Qasmi was finished home by Younes Mokhtar to send the 15 000 crowd into raptures.
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Egypt reach Olympic finals

10/12/2011

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El Baset and Sady Gueye
__Egypt U-23 team finished third in the inaugural CAF U-23 African Championship after a 2-0 win over Senegal in Marrakech. The win also ensures that Hany Ramzy‘s side will be playing at the London 2012 Olympic finals along with Morocco and Gabon.

Senegal will get another chance to try and reach London via a play off scheduled for next April against a team from Asia.

Egypt was the first to create meaningful chances and seemed to settle down to a pattern quicker than Senegal. Mohamed Salah got to the end of a cross from the right and gave the Senegalese keeper Papa Demba Camara his first test. Salah was at it again when he shook off a defender before shooting but the tame shot though on target saved easily by the goalkeeper
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U-23 Championship, 3rd Place : Senegal vs. Egypt - Preview

09/12/2011

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_It does not happen very often but Saturday's clash between Egypt and Senegal is a third-place play-off with the utmost significance.

It is arguably even more important than the final between hosts Morocco and Gabon later in the day, since the team finishing third grabs the last direct place at next year's Olympics.

The ongoing Olympic qualifying tournament in Morocco is also doubling as Africa's inaugural Under-23 Championships.

On Saturday, both the Egyptians and the Senegalese will need to lift themselves from the disappointment of losing semi-finals they will have felt they could - and should - have won.
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U-23 Championship, Final : Gabon vs. Morocco - Preview

09/12/2011

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_Either hosts Morocco or Gabon will be crowned the inaugural Under-23 champions of Africa when the final take places in Marrakesh on Saturday.

Both sides will expect to build on the confidence of having already qualified for the Olympic Games to carry them through one final match.

Morocco will start as the favourites since they can expect to have more fanatical support behind them.

Meanwhile, Gabon are after their first continental Caf crown in any age group.

And the side from the country hosting next month's Africa Cup of Nations will know that they have ridden their luck in their last two wins over Ivory Coast and then Senegal
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Morocco down Egypt for London berth

07/12/2011

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Marwan Mohsen and Abdelatif Noussir
_Abdelaziz Barrada  scored the fastest goal of the tournament so far just 50 seconds into play and added a second one in 9th minute as Morocco beat Egypt in a thrilling U-23 African Championship semi- final in Marrakech.

The hosts have now qualified for London 2012 Olympic Games football finals joining Gabon while Egypt will fight it out with Senegal for the third automatic place at the Olympics. 

Morocco stormed off from the first whistle and Barrada scored from virtually the first attack beating the goalkeeper with a fierce ground shot. The Egyptian side looked shell-shocked and had hardly worked out what had happened when Barrada returned to torment them in the 9th minute.
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Gabon reach maiden Olympics

06/12/2011

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Ntsitsingi scored a disallowed goal
_First semi-final of the CAF U-23 African Championship needed extra time to separate Senegal and Gabon in Tangiers.

Substitute Andre Pocko Biyogho headed in the winner in extra-time to send his side into the final and confirm a pale at next year’s London Olympic Games. Gabon pretty much ground out a place in the final and continued their fairy-tale run in the competition 

The goal in the 119th minute was born out of another counter-attack that characterised Gabonese play and Senegal knew they had been hit by a sucker punch when the Biyogho header crossed the line.
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Egypt through to semi-final

04/12/2011

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Egypt
_Egypt U-23 team will meet hosts Morocco in the semi-final of the CAF U-23 African Championship on the 7th of December in Marrakech after the young Pharaohs dispatched South Africa 2-0 in the final group B match on Saturday.

The victory took Egypt to the top of the group and they stay in Marrakech while Gabon who beat Cote d’ Ivoire to claim second spot will play Senegal in the first semi in Tangiers next Tuesday (6th December)

In an entertaining match that could have produced a goal avalanche Egypt proved more clinical in front of goal getting their goals from Mohamed El Nenny in the 46th minute and Marouan Mohsen in the 63rd minute.
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Gabon shock Ivory Coast to reach semifinals

04/12/2011

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_Gabon brew a shocker and climbed from bottom of the table into second place and made it  into the semi-finals of the U-23 African Championship after a 3-1 win over Cote d’ Ivoire in Tangiers. In the other group B match Egypt beat South Africa 2-0 in Marrakech as Cote d’ Ivoire and South Africa bow out.

The game in Tangiers started a slow pace and apart from sporadic chance here and there the first twenty –five minutes were a yawn.

Ivorian striker Lacina Traore broke through and on a one on one situation with the Nick Moundonga in goal for Gabon Traore’s shot was blocked back into play by the keeper and Joel Kouadio could not put away the follow up as the game picked up pace.
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Nigeria eliminated despite Algeria win

03/12/2011

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_Nigeria saved their best performance for last when they came from behind to crush ten-man Algeria 4:1 in their final group game of the CAF U-23 Championship. But it proved too little too late as both teams crashed out of the competition.

Hosts Morocco lost 1:0 to Senegal in Tangier, but both reached the last four of the competition with the young West Africans topping the group.

The development means both Nigeria and Algeria will miss out on the 2012 London Olympics as only the top four teams will have a chance of representing Africa at the global games.

Four goals in the second half by a resurgent Nigeria, including a hat-trick by Raheem Lawal and an effort by Daniel Uchechi gave the Dream Team V their only points of the tournament.
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Senegal beat Morocco as both sides qualify

02/12/2011

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Badji, Tighadouini, Gassama
_Senegal has made it through to the U-23 African Championship semi-finals after a hard fought 1-0 win over hosts Morocco who also qualified to the semis despite the loss.

Both teams finished on 6 points but Senegal tops the group and will stay in Tangiers for the semi final while Morocco now travels to Marrakech for their next game. Nigeria beat Algeria 4-1 in Marrakech in the other match but that victory fell short of the mark leaving both sides out and Senegal and Morocco through.

The match in Tangiers took time to settle after a period of stray passes. Home side Morocco had the first meaningful chance and should have taken the lead from it. Said Idazza sent in a diagonal ball into the Senegalese penalty area and Tighadouini Adnane time his run to perfect but his attempt at side footing into the net flew past the post.
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