EN, FR, PR: Morocco, Mozambique to contest COSAFA Beach Soccer final

Top-ranked Morocco will take on 2021 winners Mozambique in the final of the COSAFA Beach Soccer Championships that will be staged at Durban’s South Beach Arena on Saturday afternoon (15h30 CAT).

There was bumper crowd at the venue for the semifinals and the best news for those that want to take in the final day’s action live is that tickets are FREE!

These can be collected on a first come, first served basis from the entrance to the South Beach Arena.

Both finalists won through goal-fests in the semifinals on Friday as Morocco beat Malawi in a 15-goal epic and Mozambique, seeking to become the first nation to win the competition twice, defeated guest nation Saudi Arabia.

The final will be a repeat of the Group B clash between the sides that Morocco won convincingly 5-2, but Mozambique have certainly improved as the tournament has gone on.

Mozambique defeated Tanzania 3-1 in the final three years ago, but had to settle for fourth in 2022.

Malawi and Saudi Arabia will do battle for the bronze medal at 14h00 CAT on Saturday. The Saudis, the first non-African team to compete at a COSAFA event, defeated Malawi 5-1 in the pool phase.

Morocco booked their place in the decider with a dramatic 9-6 win over Malawi in the first of the semifinals.

The North African guest nation came back from 4-1 down as they piled on the pressure in the second and third periods, showing all their experience and why they are the top-ranked team in the tournament and number 18 in the world.

Adnan Oubahri scored a hattrick, surprisingly with his first goals of the campaign, while there were also braces for Ayoub Zahraoui and Driss Ghannam, who both move to five for the tournament, two behind top spot on the scorers chart.

Badr El Kraichly was also on target, while there was an unfortunate own goal for Malawi’s Martin Biliati.

Malawi made a fast start and were well on top early on thanks to goals from Dala Dala, Oblen Khumbula, Isaac Kajam and Sandram Ussi. Kajam later got a second to take his tally for the tournament to six and joint second in the Golden Boot race with Ramzi Dakman from Saudi Arabia.

Goalkeeper Justine Phiri got an assist when his long throw was bundled into his own net by opposite number Yassir Abada.

Mozambique were clear winners in their semifinal with an 8-1 success over Saudi Arabia in a one-sided match.

Helio Mahota scored a hattrick for Mozambique, his first goals of the competition, while there were braces for Rachide Simithe and Antonio Namape Jnr, who moves to the top of the scorers charts with seven goals.

Yuran Malate scored the other goal for Mozambique, while the lone goal from the Saudis was scored by Naif Yakl, his first in Durban.

If you cannot be on the beach on Saturday, there are many other ways to follow the action.

Matches will be broadcast live on FIFA+ and we will be providing result updates and tournament content across all of our social media platforms. These include:

❖ Our website: www.cosafa.com
❖ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cosafamedia/
❖ Facebook: www.facebook.com/COSAFAMEDIA/
❖ Instagram: www.instagram.com/cosafafootball/
❖ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cosafamedia/
❖ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/COSAFAMedia/videos

FRIDAY’S RESULTS
Semifinals
Morocco 9 (Zahraoui 2, Ghannam 2, Oubahri 3, El Kraichly, Biliati og) Malawi 6 (Dala, Khumbula, Kajam 2, Ussi, Abada og) 

Saudi Arabia 1 (Yakl) Mozambique 8 (Simithe 2, Namape Jnr 2, Mahota 3, Malate)

SATURDAY’S FIXTURES
Third-Place Play-Off
Malawi vs Saudi Arabia (KO 14h00; 12h00 GMT)

Final
Morocco vs Mozambique (KO 15h30; 13h30 GMT)

TOURNAMENT STATS
Matches Played: 14
Goals scored: 99
Biggest victory: Saudi Arabia 1 Mozambique 8 (Semifinals, March 22)
Most goals in a game: 15 – Morocco 9 Malawi 6 (Semifinals, March 22)

GOALSCORERS
7 goals – Antonio Namape Jnr (Mozambique)
6 – Ramzi Dakman (Saudi Arabia), Isaac Kajam (Malawi)
5 – Driss Ghannam (Morocco), Ayoub Zahraoui (Morocco)
4 – Jaruph Juma (Tanzania), Rachide Simithe (Mozambique),
3 – Dala Dala (Malawi), Helio Mahota (Mozambique), Paolo Nascimento (Angola), Adnan Oubahri (Morocco), Sandram Ussi (Malawi)
2 – Mubarak Alduoasri (Saudi Arabia), Abdulrahim Bausi (Tanzania), Omar de Fonseca (Angola), Amine El Bidouri (Morocco), Badr El Kraichly (Morocco), Stephen Lajoie (Seychelles), Yuran Malate (Mozambique), Paolo Novela (Mozambique), Ryan Servina (Seychelles), Joao Tchitungo (Angola), Angelo Tomas (Mozambique)
1 – Ali Alhamami (Saudi Arabia), Terrence Amade (Seychelles), Mateus António (Angola), Medrick Baptiste (Seychelles), Martin Biliati (Malawi), Sphephelo Cele (South Africa), Ramossete Cumbe (Mozambique), Wilson Francisci (Angola), Eurípedes Francisco (Angola), Goodluck Gama (Tanzania), Abongile Gcuda (South Africa), Phiwokuhle Gumede (South Africa), Eddie Jamu (Malawi), Thoko Kamanga (Malawi), Oblen Khumbula, Arnold Lasten (Malawi), Helder Mahumane (Mozambique), Julio Manjate (Mozambique), Ntuthuko Mbutho (South Africa), Siyabonga Mkhize (South Africa), Martin Williams (Seychelles), Naif Yakl (Saudi Arabia)
Own goals – Yassir Abada (Morocco), Martin Biliati (Malawi), Sandram Ussi (Malawi)

Le Mozambique et le Maroc s’affronteront en finale
L’édition 2024 de la COSAFA beach soccer championship tire bientôt à sa fin. Il reste désormais à distribuer les lauriers. Pour l’or, ce sera soit le Mozambique ou le Maroc, invité dans le tournoi. Vendredi, les deux pays ont été très démonstratifs. Dans le match pour la troisième place, ce sera soit le Malawi ou l’Arabie Saoudite.

On a atteint des niveaux record vendredi. 15 buts dans un match. Cela résume parfaitement la joute qui a opposé le Maroc au Malawi. Ce sont finalement les Marocains qui ont eu le dernier mot en s’imposant 9-6. Il ne fallait pas manquer une minute dans ce match au South Beach Arena. Des retournés acrobatique, des frappes de mule et beaucoup de suspense du début à la fin. Le Maroc a prouvé qu’il avait de la ressource et qu’il ne visait ni plus ni moins que le titre dans cette édition.

Après une bévue d’Abada, le gardien des Lions de l’Atlas ont ensuite déroulé en s’appuyant sur un doublé de Bidouri et de Ghannam. Oubahri a ensuite surgi de sa boite pour inscrire un triplé. Le festival a été conclu par Kraichly. En face, Dala, Lasten, Ussi et le doublé de Kajam n’ont pas été suffisant pour faire dérailler le train marocain. Les Malawites pourront tenter de se consoler avec le match de la troisième place alors que le Maroc essaiera de surfer sur sa forme actuellement.  A noter que Bidouri a été élu homme du match face au Malawi.

De son côté l’Arabie Saoudite a explosé en plein vol. Très compétitif dans la phase de poule, les Saoudiens ont totalement perdu leur football contre le Mozambique dans la deuxième demi-finale en se faisant dominé 8-1. Mahota a été intenable au cours de cette explication en inscrivant un triplé. Namape, comme toujours et Simithe ont donné plus de relief au score en marquant un doublé chacun. Le Mozambique n’a pas boudé son plaisir après le but de Malate. En face, seul Yakl a su répondre aux assauts incessants du Mozambique.

Et les deux rencontres de ce samedi seront un peu le remake de la phase de groupe. Ce sera un peu une histoire de revanche ou de confirmation. On se souvient que l’Arabie Saoudite avait battu le Malawi 5-1 dans le premier tour. Les Marocains avaient, eux, dominé le Mozambique 5-2. On saura si les Mambas Noirs ont su retenir la leçon.

Moçambique e Marrocos na final!
As selecções do Marrocos e de Moçambique  irão disputar, neste sábado, às 15h30, no South Beach Arena,  a final da III edição da Taça COSAFA de Futebol de Praia-2024, que vem se disputando na cidade costeira de Durban, África do Sul, desde o passado dia 17 de Março. Este embate será antecedido com o jogo Malawi-Arábia Saudita, às 14h00, para a atribuição do terceiro lugar.

De resto, Moçambique e Marrocos irão reencontrar-se volvidos dois anos, depois os marroquinos terem conquistado a medalha de bronze em 2022, no jogo de atribuição do terceiro lugar do Campeonato Africano das Nações ( CAN), na pitoresca cidade de Vilankulo em Moçambique.

Para o efeito, os marroquinos, medalhas de bronze no “africano” realizado em Moçambique em 2022, infringiram uma goleada ao Malawi por 9-6, depois de  aos malauianos ter estado a liderar o marcador por 4-0 no final do primeiro período.

A reviravolta viria acontecer à entrada para o segundo período, numa partida emotiva e repleta de uma chuva de golos. Bidouri (2 golos), Oubahri (3 golos), Ghannam (2 golos) e (Kraichly) foram os autores dos golos dos marroquinos, enquanto que  do lado do Malawi marcaram Dala, Lasten, Kajam (2golos) e (Ussi).

Na fase regular, os marroquinos garantiram o apuramento com seis pontos, frutos de duas vitórias e uma derrota, o mesmo que Moçambique, segundo

Entretanto,  Moçambique teve que afastar nas meias-finais a convidada Arábia Saudita, país não africano que disputa pela primeira vez este torneio, por 8-1, os comandados de Saedate Moveia, técnico moçambicano, eleito melhor treinador no cinco ideal da fase de grupos, terminaram o primeiro período a vencer por expressivos 4-0. Hélio Novela destacou-se por ter feito o “hat-trick”, enquanto o capitão Rachide Simithe e António Namape Jr. bisaram. Na derradeira etapa, Yuran  Malate fechou com chave de ouro fazendo 8-1.

Recorde-se que Moçambique, campeão em 2021, terminou em quarto lugar no Campeonato Africano de Futebol de Praia, decorrido na Arena de Vilankulo de 21 a 28 de Outubro de 2022, falhando o pódio da classificação após perder para Marrocos. No mesmo ano, os ex-treinados  de Abineiro Ussaca terminaram em quarto lugar no COSAFA, após perderem por 8-7 diante do Uganda.

No entanto, Malawi, que chegou à final da competição em 2015, de tudo fará para buscar a sua afirmação na zona, depois de em 2022 ter participado no “Africano” realizado em Moçambique, onde estreou com uma derrota diante da equipa anfitriã. Deste modo, os malawianos terão que aplicar-se a fundo para vencer Marrocos, medalha de bronze no CAN de 2022.