Spain beats Morocco 2-1 to reach its second straight Olympics final in men’s soccer

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Juanlu Sanchez got here off the bench to fireside Spain to a record-equaling fifth Olympic males’s soccer ultimate on Monday.

Sanchez struck within the eighty fifth minute at Stade de Marseille to seal a 2-1 win over Morocco and arrange a ultimate towards France on the Paris Video games.

“The second handed so quick that I didn’t even understand it, however then while you realized that you just scored the objective that places your crew within the ultimate, properly, I’m actually joyful,” Sanchez stated.

Morocco led 1-0 at halftime after the event’s main scorer, Soufiane Rahimi, transformed a penalty within the thirty seventh.

Spain evened the rating within the sixty fifth when Fermin Lopez confirmed fast ft within the field and hit a left-footed shot low within the backside nook. The Barcelona midfielder then offered the help that arrange Sanchez to comb his profitable objective into the far nook.

“I believe that my objective modified a bit the match, and I believe it was a terrific match for the entire crew and we deserved it,” Lopez stated. “And right here we’re.”

Spain, which gained gold on the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, misplaced to Brazil within the ultimate on the Tokyo Video games three years in the past.

It can get the possibility to make up for that and add to what has already been a profitable 12 months after the boys’s senior crew gained the European Championship final month.

“It’s principally a World Cup for the beneath 23s” Spain coach Santi Denia stated about taking part in for the gold medal on Friday at Parc des Princes in Paris.

For Morocco, it was one other painful loss at a semifinal of a significant event. It can face Egypt for the bronze medal on Thursday in Nantes. Egypt misplaced to France 3-1 hours after Morocco’s defeat.

Morocco grew to become the primary Arab and African nation to advance to the semifinals of the World Cup in 2022 — finally taking fourth place.

“We have been actually motivated at this time to play within the ultimate. What has occurred has occurred,” Morocco coach Tarik Sektioui stated. “And now we have to be centered on the following recreation. There’s a medal to be gained. That’s not nothing for us. It’s crucial for us that we return to Morocco from this event with a medal.”

Taking part in in entrance of a fervent crowd, largely comprised of Morocco supporters, it threatened one other upset at these Video games after already beating Argentina within the group stage.

Rahimi had scored 5 objectives going into the sport and took his whole to 6 when he coolly fired down the center to beat Spain goalkeeper Arnau Tenas from the spot.

Spain got here near leveling in first-half stoppage time when Alex Baena’s 25-yard effort was deflected onto the surface of the publish.

The equalizer got here by means of Lopez’ scientific end — his fourth objective of the event — and his over-exuberant celebrations earned him a yellow card after kicking the nook flag and breaking it in two.

Morocco had come near a possible late winner earlier than Sanchez sealed the victory for Spain, which has taken silver on three events, with its solely gold coming in ’92.

Brazil is the one different males’s crew to have performed in 5 finals on the Olympics, together with the previous three.

Spain’s girls’s crew can also be into the semifinals — it faces Brazil on Tuesday, additionally in Marseille.

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AP’s Barbara Surk and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Marseille contributed to this report.

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AP Summer season Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games