Tokyo Games silver medallists Spain takes on Morocco on Monday aiming to reach a second consecutive Olympic men’s football final and avenge a painful World Cup last-16 loss to the African side two years ago.
Morocco reached its first Olympics semifinal with a 4-0 win over the United States in Paris, while Spain breezed past Japan 3-0 in Lyon in Friday’s quarters. The Spaniards lost 2-1 to Brazil after extra time in the Tokyo final.
Led by captain Achraf Hakimi and tournament leading scorer Soufiane Rahimi, with five goals, Morocco beat Argentina 2-1 in a chaotic Group B opener before a 3-0 win over Iraq, suffering only a 2-1 stumble against Ukraine in between.
In a similar fashion, Spain earned a 2-1 victory against Uzbekistan and a 3-1 win over the Dominican Republic before a 2-1 loss to Group C winner Egypt for a second-place finish.
While the match in Marseille is an under-23 contest, Spanish media say it is the perfect chance to avenge the World Cup shootout defeat, while Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi thinks it is another chance to demonstrate his country’s progress.
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“The World Cup opened the doors for us, we know Moroccan football is growing,” Hakimi, 25, said after its win in the quarters, referring to its World Cup run to the semifinals.
“We have to demonstrate to the youngsters that we are capable of fighting the heavyweights.”
It will be a meeting of familiar faces, such as Paris St Germain teammates Hakimi and goalkeeper Arnau Tenas, Villarreal’s Ilias Akhomach and Alex Baena and Real Betis’ Abde Ezzalzouli and Juan Miranda, recently signed by Bologna, meet on the pitch.
“Before going to the Olympics I saw ‘Haki’ and I told him: ‘Spain will play Morocco and we are going to win’,” Tenas said.
“Haki is my friend. He is one of the best players in the world. We’ll see what happens.”
In the other semifinal, hosts France, aiming for its first gold in 40 years, faces Egypt in Lyon.
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