Morocco’s valiant quest for Olympic gold came to a heart-wrenching end in Marseille as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Spain in a pulsating semi-final of the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament.
The Atlas Lions, buoyed by thousands of passionate supporters, came agonizingly close to reaching their first-ever final but were ultimately undone by a late Spanish resurgence.
The electric atmosphere at the Stade de Marseille was dominated by the thunderous cheers of Moroccan fans, who had turned out in force to witness their team’s historic run.
Their faith was initially rewarded when the tournament’s top scorer, Soufiane Rahimi, stepped up to convert a penalty in the 37th minute, sending the crowd into raptures.
The spot-kick, awarded after a VAR review confirmed Spanish midfielder Pablo Barrios had fouled Amir Richardson, was dispatched with aplomb by Rahimi.
It marked his sixth goal of the tournament, further cementing his status as one of the breakout stars of Paris 2024.
Riding the wave of momentum, Morocco nearly doubled their advantage before halftime.
Eliesse Ben Seghir came within inches of etching his name into Olympic folklore, his powerful strike just clearing the crossbar and leaving Spanish hearts in mouths.
However, Spain’s quality began to tell in the second half. The equalizer came in the 65th minute through Fermin Lopez, whose precise finish silenced the Moroccan faithful.
The Atlas Lions refused to lie down, though, and Amir Richardson almost restored their lead with a curling effort that had the Spanish goalkeeper beaten.
But it was not to be for Morocco. With just five minutes remaining, Spanish substitute Juanlu Sanchez delivered the cruel blow, his low drive finding the back of the net and shattering Moroccan dreams of reaching the gold medal match.
The defeat means Morocco will now contest the bronze medal match, facing the loser of the France-Egypt tie.
While it may not be the gold they dreamed of, a podium finish would still represent a monumental achievement for Moroccan and African football.