Egypt qualified for the CAF U-23 Championship semi-finals as Group B leaders, thanks to a 2-0 victory over South Africa. A solid second-half performance from Hany Ramzy's side was capped by goals from Mohamed Al-Nenni and Marwan Mohsen. Egypt finish on top of the group with six points as a 10-man Gabon grabbed a shock 3-1 win over Ivory Coast to snatch the second ticket to the last four. The young Pharaohs will face Group A runners-up and tournament hosts Morocco, whereas Gabon will meet Senegal. Once again, wonderkid goalkeeper Ahmed Al-Shennawi produced a superb display between the posts, proving his credentials as a potential number one for the Egypt senior team. The Masri guardian made no less than seven crucial saves to keep his second clean sheet in three games. An evenly-balanced first half ended in a goalless draw, which was the same scoreline between Ivory Coast and Gabon at this point. Less than 30 seconds after the break, Egypt took the lead thanks to a left-footed strike from Arab Contractors midfielder Al-Nenni. The South Africans attacked in numbers but looked vulnerable in defense as they were always frustrated by a rock-solid Al-Shennawi. Petrojet hitman Mohsen doubled the lead with a close-range header in the 63rd minute to put the game to bed. In Tangiers, Gabon managed to turn things around after being a goal down to Ivory Coast, who only needed a draw to go through.
