Morocco’s remarkable journey in men’s football at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris ended with a 2-1 defeat to Spain in the semi-finals.

The North African team, which made history as the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup, appeared poised to continue their success on the global stage. They held a 1-0 lead at halftime, thanks to tournament top scorer Soufiane Rahimi, who converted a penalty in the 37th minute.

However, Juanlu Sanchez emerged from the bench to propel Spain into their fifth Olympic men’s soccer final, equaling a record. Sanchez scored in the 85th minute at Stade de Marseille, securing the 2-1 victory over Morocco and setting up a final clash against either France or Egypt.

Spain equalized in the 65th minute when Fermin Lopez displayed impressive agility in the box, delivering a low left-footed shot into the bottom corner.

This marked Lopez’s fourth goal of the tournament, although his exuberant celebrations resulted in a yellow card for damaging the corner flag.

Lopez also provided the assist for Sanchez, who finished with a low shot into the far corner for the decisive goal. Spain, which claimed gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, was the runner-up at the Tokyo Games three years prior, losing to Brazil.

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