Egypt needed a first-half goal to sink Guinea and qualify for the final of the 2023 Caf U23 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco on Tuesday.

In a tightly fought semis clash at the Grand Stade de Tanger in Rabat, the defending champions looked promising from the onset and they took a deserved lead with only eight minutes played when Mohamed Mohamed Shehata Mahmoud scored what turned out to be the winner.

Despite taking an early lead, Guinea threatened to move level when Algassime Bah combined well with Aguibou Camara but the latter’s cutback cross fell in the waiting hands of goalkeeper Hamza Alaa Abdalla Hussein.

Guinea commenced their campaign in the tournament with a 2-1 defeat against hosts Morocco but bounced back to secure a 3-1 victory over Congo Brazzaville before a draw against Ghana in the final group match sealed their spot in the last four.

Meanwhile, Egypt advanced to the semis after commencing their Group B campaign with a goalless draw against Niger, followed by a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Mali before concluding the group stage with a commanding 2-0 triumph against Gabon.

Egypt will now face the winner of the other semi-final between hosts Morocco and Mali in the final on Saturday. The top three teams will qualify for the Paris Olympics, while the fourth-placed team will enter a playoff round.