Morocco beats Egypt to claim Olympic Bronze in Men’s Football

Morocco secured its first Olympic men’s football bronze with a resounding 6-0 victory over Egypt.

The match, held at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, showcased a stellar performance by Soufiane Rahimi, who scored twice, bringing his total to eight goals in the tournament and affirming his position as the top scorer.

Captain Achraf Hakimi added to the scoreline with a stunning late free-kick, while Abde Ezzalzouli, Bilal El Khannouss, and Akram Nakach also found the net in this decisive win.

This victory marks Morocco’s first Olympic football medal and is a significant achievement for North African football. Morocco’s journey included a win against Argentina in the group stage and a semi-final appearance against Spain, adding to their triumph over Egypt in last year’s Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations final.

That success was what allowed them to qualify for the Olympics, and they secured a medal in rampant fashion with Ezzalzouli, of Real Betis in Spain, putting Morocco ahead from a superb strike just inside the box midway through the first half.

Rahimi made it 2-0 shortly after when he headed in a cross by Ezzalzouli, before the Atlas Lions ran away with the game in the second half.

El Khannouss curled a low shot into the bottom-right corner from just outside the box for the third goal, and Rahimi got his second to make it 4-0 when he controlled a pass by Ilias Akhomach before firing in.

Striker Rahimi, who has at least four more goals than any other player in the tournament, then turned provider for defender Akram Nakach to make it five.

However, Hakimi saved the best for last by finding the net with a missile of a free-kick from 30 metres three minutes from the end. That was Morocco’s 17th goal in six matches at the Games.

Hosts France play Spain in the gold medal match in Paris on Friday.