RABAT, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Morocco defeated Tanzania 3-0 in the U-20 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) at Nouakchott's Olympic Stadium, Mauritania, on Monday.

El Mehdi El Moubarik, Mohammed Amine Essahel and Ayoub Mouloua scored quickfire goals within the opening 13 minutes, paving the way for the North African country to dominate the game.

Morocco topped Group C with seven points and reached the quarterfinals, where they will face Tunisia on Friday in Nouadhibou.

"We are happy to go into the quarterfinals and we are ready for it," Morocco head coach Aboub Zakaria said after the Tanzania game.

Tanzania coach Jamhuri Kihwelo said, "We conceded early goals and it was very tough to come back from 3-0 down."

"We leave with our heads high because this was our very first time [in the tournament]," he added.