MATCH FACTS: Morocco meet Sierra Leone in TotalEnergies CAF U20 AFCON quarter-final

Group B winners Morocco face Group A runners-up Sierra Leone in the quarter-finals in their first-ever meeting at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Monday (kick-off 18:00 local time / 15:00 GMT).

Sierra Leone are the 11th different West African nation Morocco will face at the finals. Previous opponents include Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo.

Morocco’s overall record against West African teams stands at 20 matches played, with 8 wins, 6 draws, and 6 losses. Two of their drawn matches ended in defeat via penalty shootouts.

Morocco are unbeaten in their last five matches against West African opposition in open play, with their last loss coming in a 1-0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in their second group game in 2003.

However, in those five matches, they have only secured one win in regulation time—a 1-0 victory over Gambia in the 2021 group stage. The remaining four games include two penalty shootout losses and two goalless draws.

They have not conceded in any of their last three matches against West African teams, defeating Gambia 1-0 in 2021, and drawing 0-0 against both Ghana (2021) and Nigeria (2025).

Of Morocco’s eight victories over West African teams, six have been clean sheets. The only wins in which they conceded were 2-1 triumphs over Mali (1989) and Côte d’Ivoire (1997).

MOROCCO FACTS
·       Morocco progressed to the quarterfinals with a 3-2 win over Kenya, a 0-0 draw with Nigeria, and a 3-1 win against Tunisia.

·       This is their fifth appearance in the quarterfinals, with a record of one win and three losses at this stage. They lost to Algeria on away goals in 1983 after a 3-3 aggregate draw, to Tunisia 2-1 on aggregate in 1985, and on penalties to Tunisia again in 2021.

·       Their only quarterfinal win came in 1987, when they overturned a 2-0 first-leg loss to Côte d’Ivoire with a 3-0 home win.

·       A win against Sierra Leone would mark Morocco’s fourth semi-final appearance, following previous runs in 1987, 1997, and 2005.

·       Since the tournament switched to a single-format setup in 1993, this is the fourth time Morocco have reached the knockout stage, after appearances in 1997, 2005, and 2021.

·       In knockout matches since 1993, Morocco have played five games—two wins in open play and three losses, all on penalties. Their last win was a 2-1 semi-final victory over Côte d’Ivoire in 1997.

·       They lost semi-final and third-place matches in 2005 and a quarterfinal in 2021, all via penalties. In total, Morocco have lost all four of their penalty shootouts at the finals: Tunisia (1981), Nigeria and Benin (2005), and Tunisia again (2021).

·       This is the third time Morocco have gone through the group stage unbeaten, following similar runs in 2005 and 2021. They are now 12 games unbeaten in open play at the finals, with six wins and six draws. Their last defeat in open play was a 4-0 loss to Egypt in 2003.

·       For the first time in tournament history, Morocco scored three goals in two separate group matches. They have scored six goals and conceded three so far.

·       Five different players have scored for them, tied with South Africa for the most goal-scorers among the quarterfinalists. Morocco also boast the highest shot conversion rate of any quarterfinalist at 20%.

·       In their 3-1 win over Tunisia, Morocco recorded seven shots on target—their second-highest total at the current tournament, following nine against Kenya. Four of their six goals have come in the second half, and all were scored after the 40th minute.

·       The earliest goal was Ayman Safsafi’s 43rd-minute strike against Tunisia. This group stage tally of six goals is Morocco’s highest ever, while the three goals conceded is their most since letting in six in 1993. Notably, Morocco didn’t concede a single goal during the 2021 finals.

SIERRA LEONE FACTS
·       Sierra Leone, Group A runners-up and tournament debutants, have made it past the group stage for the first time.

·       They began with a 0-0 draw against Zambia, followed by a 4-1 win over hosts Egypt and a 1-0 win against Tanzania. Their first loss came in a 4-1 defeat to South Africa.

·       Sierra Leone scored six goals in the group stage but conceded five—the highest number among the teams that reached the last eight. In their loss to South Africa, they managed six shots on target but scored only once.

·       Momoh Kamara has scored four of their six goals, including a hat-trick against Egypt and a goal versus South Africa.

·       Five of Sierra Leone’s goals (83%) have come in the second half, all scored after the 60th minute. Their only first-half goal came from Samuel Gandi in the 37th minute against Tanzania.

·       In the loss to South Africa, Alpha Turay made a game-high seven interceptions. Sierra Leone have faced 20 shots—more than any other quarterfinalist—and their players have been involved in 188 duels, winning 53.10% of them.

·       A win would make Sierra Leone the first debutant to reach the semifinals since Congo in 2007. They would also become the 11th West African country to make it to the final four, joining Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo.