Morocco U-23 coach, Charai sure of winning CAF U23 title

 RABAT, MOROCCO

Morocco U-23 coach Issame Charai has been brimming with confidence ahead of this Saturday’s final match with defending champions, Egypt in the U23 Africa Cup of Nations.

A win will undoubtedly atone for the last month’s Wydad AC loss to Egypt’s Ahly in the final match of the CAF Champions League.

Charai’s team got to the final after a hard-fought semi-final clash with eventual third placed team, Mali. Morocco won the encounter, 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

Egypt on the other hand reached their second consecutive final after a 1-0 defeat of Guinea.

Both Egypt and Morocco have secured their place in next year’s Paris Olympics along with Mali which overcame Guinea in penalty shoot-out on Friday in Tanger.

The top three teams, Morocco, Egypt have qualified directly for the Olympic Games while Guinea enters a playoff round.

“We will regain our fitness to play strongly in the final against Egypt,” Charai told Moroccan site El-Botola.

“We will be playing at home, and we will do everything to make the Moroccan public happy.”

Charai also expressed his respect for the strong Egyptian team, which has won the tournament on many occasions.

“They were crowned in the last edition, and they have players who have been playing together for a long time, most of them from the Egyptian league, and this is an advantage for them,” he concluded.