TNT Sports
Morocco 1-2 Spain - La Roja come from behind to book spot in Olympic Games final
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Published 05/08/2024 at 20:08 GMT+1
Spain guaranteed themselves a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in football after beating Morocco in the semi-finals of the men's event. The fans at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille were treated to a cracking contest and it went the way of Spain who came from behind. discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Spain came from a goal down to beat Morocco 2-1 and reach the Olympic Games final after a thrilling semi-final in Marseille.
Soufiane Rahimi gave Morocco the edge in a breathless first-half, scoring from the spot after Richardson was caught inside the box.
But Spain managed to get more control after the break, equalising through Fermin Lopez before substitute Juanlu Sanchez slotted a low finish home to give Spain the lead with just five minutes of regulation time remaining.
Morocco threw everything at it late on, including sending the 'keeper forward for a set-piece deep in stoppage time, but it was not to be for the Atlas Lions.
Spain will face the winner of the second-semi-final between France and Egypt, which is coming up this evening, with kick-off at 20:00 BST.
That final is on Friday in Paris, while Morocco will scrap it out for bronze on Thursday in Nantes.
Talking Point - Spain ride out the storm
Morocco threw everything at Spain in Marseille, with a majority-Moroccan crowd creating a fervent atmosphere that only contributed to the breathless nature of the occasion, with a high-tempo match seeing The Atlas Lions put the Spain under pressure time and again.
Spain did well to keep in the game after a first half that they struggled to control, but as the tempo dipped slightly after the break it was the Spanish who took the upper hand, and they are now one game away from a remarkable Euros-Olympics summer double.
Player Of The Match - Fermin Lopez
Barcelona’s young midfielder is a gem of a player, and he came up trumps again with an opportunistic and well-taken equaliser to set his side on the path to victory.
He has got the all-round game to thrive at the highest level, and Spain’s final opponents will need to try and contain him in Friday’s showpiece.
Player Ratings
Morocco: Munir 7; A. Hakimi 9, El Azzouzi 7, Boukamir 7, El Ouahdi 7; Ben Seghir 9, Richardson 8, Targhalline 7; Ez Abde 7, Rahimi 7, Akhomach 7. Subs: Maouhoub 7
Spain: Tenas 7; Pubill 6, Eric GarcĂa 7, CubarsĂ 7, Miranda 6; FermĂn Lopez 9, Barrios 8, Baena 8; Oroz 7, A. Ruiz 7, Sergio Gomez 7. Subs: Gutierrez 8, Bernabe 8, Sanchez 8, Turrientes 7, Omorodion 7
Match Highlights
13’ A CHANGE OF REFEREES
Players from both sides are down after what was a pretty poor challenge to halt a Moroccan counter. Meanwhile, off the ball, a coming together results in Pubill unintentionally wiping out the referee, who is hobbling a little after his hefty fall. The fourth official is warming up on the sidelines and I think we’re going to see a change here… indeed we are! This Olympics tournament has seen it all.
34’ PENALTY!
VAR are going to take a look at this surely. Richardson gets his boot to the ball first in the box and his kicked in the back of his calf. Morocco think it’s a penalty… and the roar from the crowd is huge as the stand-in referee steps away from the monitor and points to the spot. It’s surely the right decision, despite Spanish protests. There’s a lot of pushing and shoving and delaying tactics going on, but it’s a penalty to Morocco…
36’ GOAL! MOROCCO 1-0 SPAIN (SOUFIANE RAHIMI, PEN)
Hakimi had the ball in his hands and was the focus of a lot of distraction tactics from Spain, but then passed it to striker Rahimi at the last moment, who steps up and slots his spot-kick home before dancing in the face of the rattled Spanish stopper. 1-0 Morocco!
66’ GOAL! MOROCCO 1-1 SPAIN (FERMIN LOPEZ)
It’s the equaliser for Spain as Fermin latches onto a loose ball after a tackle in the box before tucking his shot into the bottom corner. That’s set things up in a big way, although VAR is checking something.
85’ GOAL! MOROCCO 1-2 SPAIN (JUANLU SANCHEZ)
Spain take the lead, working the ball into space down their right. Juanlu Sanchez darts into the box and picks out the far corner to prompt jubilant celebrations. VAR checks that the ball stayed in play during the build-up, and the goal stands.
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discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer
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