Soufiane Rahimi scored two targets as Morocco received the bronze medal with a 6-0 rout of Egypt on Thursday for the crew’s first podium end on the Olympics.
Abde Ezzalzouli, Bilal El Khannouss, Akram Nakach and Achraf Hakimi additionally scored for Morocco, which went into half-time with a 2-0 result in the delight of Moroccan followers at Nantes’ La Beaujoire Stadium.
Rahimi scored eight targets in France, most within the match. At 28, he is without doubt one of the overage gamers allowed on the under-23 Olympic squads.
It was Egypt’s third fourth-place end on the Olympics — after Amsterdam in 1928 and Tokyo in 1964.
Morocco has been impressed all through the match by its senior males’s crew, which was a shock semifinalist on the World Cup in 2022. The gamers have additionally been boosted by the trustworthy followers who’ve adopted the crew on its journey in France.
“We wished to win the gold medal, that is for certain, however to win a recreation like this, to get our nation’s first-ever medal right here and in entrance of so lots of our followers, it feels unbelievable,” stated ahead Ilias Akhomach.
The crew additionally trounced the United States 4-0 at Parc des Princes in Paris within the quarterfinals however then misplaced to Spain 2-1 within the semifinals. Spain will play France on Friday for the gold medal.
Moroccan followers have been fervent of their assist all through the match. Within the group stage, they rushed the sector and threw bottles in a 2-1 win over Argentina, inflicting the sport to be suspended for round two hours.
Rahimi’s first objective got here off a header within the twenty sixth minute that Egypt goalkeeper Hamza Alaa obtained a glove on however could not cease.
Lower than three minutes earlier than Rahimi’s objective, Ezzalzouli scored from the highest of the penalty field into the far nook. He joined his Moroccan teammates in a prayer on the nook of the sector after the objective.
Morocco noticed the return of midfielder El Khannouss, who was suspended for the semifinal. He made it 3-0 by shaking off a sequence of defenders for a objective within the 51st.
Rahimi’s second got here within the sixty fourth, and he assisted on Nakach’s objective within the 73rd.
Hakimi, who performs in France for Paris Saint-Germain, scored on a late free kick.
“All credit score to Morocco. They have been unbelievable in entrance of objective. That they had a really excessive proportion by way of their ending. For us, it wasn’t to be right this moment,” stated Egypt coach Rogerio Micale, who coached Brazil to the gold medal on house soil on the 2016 Video games.
Egypt was with out Omar Fayed, who was despatched off with a pink card within the semifinal in opposition to France.
Egypt additionally misplaced winger Zizo, one of many groups overage gamers, who needed to depart within the twelfth minute after pulling up with an harm.
