TNT Sports
Morocco v Spain - Olympic men's football semi-final - As It Happened
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Published 05/08/2024 at 17:30 GMT+1
The medals are in reach in the Paris 2024 Olympic men's football tournament as Spain beat Morocco 2-1 to seal their opportunity to play for gold in the final. The Atlas Lions come into the match on a high having thrashed USA in the quarter-finals and were hoping for another scalp against an impressive Spain team. But two second-half goals sealed the win for Spain.
Surreal finale as Argentina and Morocco play out final minutes without fans after long delay
Video credit: TNT Sports
SPAIN COME FROM BEHIND TO SINK MOROCCO
Spain came from a goal down to beat Morocco 2-1 and reach the Olympic 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, equalizing 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 wasn’t to be for the Atlas Lions.
Spain will face the winner of today’s 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.
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FULL-TIME: SPAIN ARE THROUGH TO THE OLYMPIC FINAL!
The final whistle goes and the Spanish players collapse to the ground in celebration. They’ve come from behind in a stunning game to beat Morocco 2-1.
99’ THE KEEPER IS UP!
It’s a free-kick to Morocco and everyone is forward, including the keeper. Spain manages to clear it and hack away the follow-up attack. Surely that’s it…
97’ IS THAT THE LAST CHANCE?
Hakimi crosses the ball deep after terrific work from Richardson, but the header drifts wide from a tight angle when it really should have been turned back into the mixer.
95’ OFFSIDE FLAG IS UP
Morocco have almost everyone forward and are throwing everything at this, but Spain are doing their best to slow down every restart, and they have another opportunity here as the offside flag goes up against Rahimi. A pitch invader also means another pause.
90+3’ OVER THE BAR!
A brilliant cross from Hakimi is met by Richardson, who doesn’t meet it cleanly and loops his effort over the bar. It’s encouraging for Morocco that they’re creating chances like that still, but time is running out.
90+2’ ANOTHER CHANGE
Spain turn to the bench again, and two minutes of stoppage time have elapsed with very little happening. It’s Omorodion who comes on, to offer a hold-up outlet for Spain as they drop deep.
90’ ADDED TIME
There will be seven minutes added on at the end of the game. Is that enough time for more drama in this match?
88’ SUBSTITUTIONS FOR BOTH TEAMS
Morocco respond by bringing on another attacker, as Maouhoub replaces Boukamir. Fermin Lopez is withdrawn by Spain, with Turrientes coming on.
87’ STILL LIFE IN THE ATLAS LIONS
Morocco keep on swinging despite going behind for the first time in this match. Ezzalzouli cuts inside and bangs a shot narrowly over the bar to draw oohs and aahs from the Moroccan fans in the stands.
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.
84' LAST-DITCH DEFENDING
Spanish bodies are flying everywhere as they put in a series of blocks to deny Morocco. That’s excellent defending.
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81’ A CLUMSY CHALLENGE
Morocco are given the opportunity to relieve the building pressure as Fermin goes in hard on the keeper to try and disrupt him in the air from that corner. It’s a free-kick and a heart-in-mouth moment for the Spaniard, who has already been booked. He needs to watch his step.
80' CORNER TO SPAIN
Fermin Lopez hits a dropping ball first time with a wonderfully-executed volley that deflects behind for a corner. There were subdued shouts for handball but there was nothing in that.
78’ THE FLAG IS UP
Offside is given as Spain scramble the ball away following another dangerous attack from Morocco. The decision was against Rahimi. Replays show he was not offside.
75’ COOLING BREAK
The players head to the sidelines for a drink in the hot conditions in Marseille. It’s the final chance for the coaches to get their message across as the game heads to its business end.
73’ YELLOW CARD
Rahimi is charging clear on the counter attack and is felled by an arm to the face by Bernabe. It’s a yellow card and Morocco are unhappy that it’s not more, but the booking is probably just about the right decision. It was more a block rather than swing to the head.
70’ MOROCCO LOOK TO RESPOND
The crowd have quietened for the first time today after that Spanish equaliser, but Morocco’s players immediately look to ramp it back up again, putting together a dangerous attack that ends when Richardson curls a shot inches wide from outside the box.
68’ YELLOW CARD
Fermin goes into the ref’s booking for his celebration, which saw him kick the corner flag and snap it in two. There’s a delay before the restart as a replacement flag is found.
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.
61' A TRIPLE CHANGE FOR SPAIN
Santi Denia has seen enough and wants some fresh legs on the field to try and liven things up for his Spanish side. Sanchez, Bernabe and Gutierrez come on for Miranda, Barrios and Pubill.
58’ FRUSTRATION FOR SPAIN
Spain want a corner as a wayward shot takes a deflection on its way behind, but the decision is a goal kick. The players are furious and it’s that sort of game for them, tempers are starting to fray and it’s got the ingredients to get a bit spicy later in this second half. They were correct in their indignation on this occasion to be fair.
56’ OVER THE BAR
It opens up for Akhomach to have a crack from distance, but he gets underneath it and the ball soars into the stands. Morocco are still looking dangerous although the tempo has dropped slightly. Rahimi heads for a drink at the sidelines and it temporarily delays the restart as Spain opt to wait for him to return to the field, much to their manager’s chagrin.
53’ QUALITY SAVE DENIES SPAIN
Barrios sends a swerving effort goalwards that is palmed behind by the keeper, who did well to keep his eyes on that ball, which was moving all over the place.
51’ DECENT EFFORTS
Akhomach shoots wide after another flowing break from Morocco, before Spain have their own pop at goal, with Sergio Gomez slicing his effort wide.
48’ SPAIN LOOK FOR CONTROL
It was a brilliant first-half to watch, but Spain will have been frustrated that it was their opponents who set the tone of an end-to-end half. They’ve started since the break with a clear intent to slow things down and take control of possession more.
46’ AWAY WE GO
The game is back underway after the break with Morocco 1-0 up and looking for a spot in Friday’s Olympic Final.
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HALF-TIME: MOROCCO LEAD AT THE BREAK
Soufiane Rahimi’s penalty has Morocco ahead at the halfway point of this semi-final. It’s been a relentlessly entertaining first half, with the Moroccans playing at a ferocious pace but Spain showing glimpses of their quality too. It’s set up for a stunning second 45 – stay tuned!
45+8’ OFF THE POST
Kajoui comes off his line and punches away, but his clearance falls straight to Baena, who drills a low shot that takes a slight deflection onto the base of the post and behind. That was so close to the equaliser from Spain, who are starting to hit their stride at the back-end of this half.
45+6’ ALMOST A HUGE ERROR
A curling cross is fumbled by Tenas in the Spanish goal and he’s relieved to see the ball dribble out for a corner. That could have been a lot worse.
45+4’ FIZZING OVER THE BAR
Morocco carve Spain apart down the right flank and Seghir meets a cut-back on the edge of the box with a first-time effort that flies narrowly over the bar. Would the keeper have got there? I don’t think he would.
45+3’ A LET-OFF FOR MOROCCO
Oroz shoots with Morocco left short with two players down following some rough challenges. The ref is letting a lot go for both teams, but on this occasion Spain aren’t able to take advantage, with the shot hit straight at the keeper.
45’ ADDED TIME… AND LOTS OF IT
There will be 12 minutes added on at the end of the half, which is unsurprising given the lengthy delay following the injury to the referee and then that VAR review and penalty.
44’ YELLOW CARDS
Just an update that both goalscorer Rahimi and Spanish goalkeeper Tenas were booked for their part in the scenes prior to and after the penalty.
41’ BACK UNDERWAY
The game has resumed after that cooling break and Spain will be keen to exert a bit of control. Ben Seghir has other ideas though and wins a free-kick as Spain try and play it out from deep in midfield. The Spanish players can’t believe it, but Seghir was quicker to the ball and it was the correct decision.
38’ COOLING BREAK TIME
There are flares and all sorts going off as the Moroccan fans celebrate going ahead, with the two groups of players heading for a cooling break shortly after the restart in a hot and humid Marseille. It’s not just the temperatures that’s rising here either – tempers aren’t a long way from fraying and this game has the ingredients to really pop off between two nations with plenty of history between them. It’s probably a good thing that the cooling break happened right now. The players’ heads needed it just as much as their bodies.
36’ GOAL! MOROCCO 1-0 SPAIN (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, and he steps up and slots his spot-kick home before dancing in the face of the rattled Spanish stopper. 1-0 Morocco!
34’ PENALTY!
The roar from the majority Morocco 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…
32’ CLAIMS FOR A 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…
30’ SEGHIR GOES CLOSE
Morocco are so good to watch when they’re in this sort of mood and they force a corner as Seghir cuts inside and sees his dangerous-looking effort turned behind.
27’ COUNTER-ATTACK IS HALTED
Morocco continue to play at breakneck speed and almost open up Spain on the counter, with the referee waving away claims for a foul in the centre circle as the Spanish scramble back. Can the Atlas Lions keep up this remarkable intent? The answer is surely no, but they have Spain rattled at the moment.
25’ A CONTEST TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Juan Miranda and Ilias Akhomach are engaged in a fascinating battle at the moment, with plenty of big challenges going in. It’s just about honours even in that particular contest at the moment, but it’s starting to get a little heated.
23’ BLISTERING TEMPO
It’s a real end-to-end sort of encounter, with some big challenges going in too. It’s a thoroughly entertaining watch and the crowd are loving it.
21’ TERRIFIC SAVE
Fermin Lopez is denied by a finger-save as he drills a low shot towards the bottom corner from range.
18’ NO PENALTY
Rahimi goes down in the box as Morocco keep on pouring forward. There’s nothing doing there though.
16’ BACK UNDERWAY
We’ve had a change of referee after that incident and the game is back underway.
13' A BIG COLLISION AND THE REFEREE IS DOWN
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.
9’ MOROCCO ON TOP
The early stages have been dominated by Morocco, who are attacking primarily down their strong right flank and are picking up some free-kicks in dangerous areas. The latest comes after some nifty footwork from Hakimi draws the foul.
6’ SPAIN KEEP THEIR COOL
It’s all about riding out this early wave of Moroccan pressure for Spain and having faith that they’ll be able to take control later in the 90. It’s very hot in Marseille and it won’t be easy to play at full-throttle for the whole game.
4’ A HIGH-OCTANE START
There haven’t been many openings but the pace of the game is ferocious as Morocco look to tear into Spain and knock them off their stride.
1’ AWAY WE GO
The game is underway and the atmosphere is absolutely phenomenal, driven by a very vocal Moroccan contingent. It feels close to a Morocco home game in truth.
17:00 WATCH THIS GAME LIVE ON DISCOVERY+
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16:55 WHEN IS THE FINAL?
It’s a relatively quick turnaround for the medal matches in this competition, with the Men’s Football Tournament set to be fully wrapped up before the weekend.
16:50 HOW MOROCCO LINE UP
Morocco also shape up in a 4-2-3-1, but will look to free up Hakimi wherever possible to push forward from full-back. Centre-forward Rahimi is the tournament’s top-scorer with five to his name so far.
16:45 HOW SPAIN LINE UP
It’s going to be a classic 4-2-3-1 for Spain, with Abel Ruiz leading the line up top and hoping to add to his goal against Japan. Fermin Lopez is part of the three behind the centre-forward and is in top form, having bagged two stunners in that quarter-final win.
16:40 HOW SPAIN GOT HERE
It’s been an odd tournament in many ways for Spain, who qualified comfortably despite a loss to Egypt in Group C, without ever really having to hit their stride. Victory over Japan last time out was a more complete performance, and now they’ll have their sights set on adding an Olympic gold to the country’s Euro 2024 crown from last month.
16:35 DISCOVERY+ IS LIVE!
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16:30 HOW MOROCCO GOT HERE
It’s been a dramatic path to the semis for Morocco, with their very first game providing extraordinary scenes of a two-hour delay before a VAR review ruled out an equaliser to earn the Atlas Lions a famous win over Argentina in Group B. Defeat to Ukraine was a disappointment, but Morocco bounced back to beat Iraq and progress as group winners. And they made a real statement in the quarters, smashing USA 4-0 to make it through in style.
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Surreal finale as Argentina and Morocco play out final minutes without fans after long delay
Video credit: TNT Sports
16:25 CRUNCH TIME
This fascinating competition has reached the stage where it starts to break through the noise and attract some serious attention amidst all the other Olympic brilliance. France’s remarkable quarter-final against Argentina helped with that, and now we’re set for two potentially scintillating semi-finals today, with the hosts facing Egypt later on this evening once this semi has been decided.
16:20 THE TEAMS
Morocco: Munir; A. Hakimi, El Azzouzi, Boukamir, El Ouahdi; Ben Seghir, Richardson, Targhalline; Ez Abde, Rahimi, Akhomach
Spain: Tenas; Pubill, Eric GarcĂa, CubarsĂ, Miranda; FermĂn LĂłpez, Barrios, Baena; Oroz, A. Ruiz, Sergio GĂłmez
16:15 HELLO AND WELCOME
It’s semi-final time! Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of Morocco vs Spain in the last four of the Men’s Football. Stay tuned for build-up, team news and live text commentary of this intriguing Olympics encounter.
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