Morocco vs. UAE: Atlas Lions One Step Away from Arab Cup Final (Today 15:30 GMT+1)

The Moroccan reserve national team is set to face their Emirati counterparts today, Monday, in the semi-finals of the Arab Cup. The crucial match will kick off at 3:30 PM Morocco time.

This encounter is considered one of the most prominent fixtures of the tournament, bringing together two teams vying for a place in the final. It is a decisive clash where only victory counts, given the high stakes of moving closer to clinching the Arab title.

The Moroccan team has demonstrated a strong performance since the group stage, beginning their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Comoros. They then drew goalless with Oman before securing top spot in their group with a valuable 1-0 win against Saudi Arabia, accumulating a total of seven points.

In the quarter-finals, the “Atlas Lions” continued their impressive run, overcoming Syria with a lone goal to book their ticket to the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, the UAE national team qualified for the same stage after eliminating Algeria in a penalty shootout, winning 7-6 following a 1-1 draw after regular and extra time. This sets up an eagerly anticipated and highly competitive match against Morocco.

Regarding officiating, the FIFA Referees Committee has appointed Norwegian referee Espen Eskås to officiate the upcoming match between Morocco and the UAE in the Arab Cup semi-finals, currently taking place in Qatar until December 18. Eskås will be assisted by his compatriots Jan Erik Engan as first assistant and Isaak Bashevkin as second assistant. The role of fourth official has been assigned to China's Ma Ning, with his compatriot Zhou Fei serving as the fifth official, as part of a refereeing team committed to ensuring the match proceeds under the best possible conditions.