TNT Sports
Paris 2024 Olympics: Morocco claim historic bronze with crushing 6-0 victory over north African rivals Egypt
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Updated 08/08/2024 at 18:38 GMT+1
The bronze medal match at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was an all-African affair as Morocco hammered Egypt 6-0. Abde Ezzalzouli and Soufiane Rahimi put Morocco in control before the break before Bilal El Khannouss put the game beyond doubt in he second half. Rahimi netted his second before Akram Nakach and Achraf Hakimi rounded off the scoring.
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Video credit: SNTV
Two-goal Soufiane Rahimi made history as Morocco claimed an emphatic 6-0 win over Egypt to claim the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
The red-hot Al-Ain forward took his tally to eight goals for the tournament and in doing so became the first player to net in six matches in a row at the Games.
A lively opening saw both sides create opportunities before The Atlas Lions stunned Egypt with two goals in three minutes mid-way through the first half.
First, Abde Ezzalzouli curled in a sublime opener from the left side of the area before Rahimi continued his hot streak in Paris with a clinical header to double Morocco’s advantage.
Egypt ended the opening period on the front-foot but their hopes were ended within six minutes of the restart as Bilal El Khannouss waltzed through the middle and steered a low shot into the far corner from the edge of the area.
Rahimi then latched on to an exquisite pass to put the result beyond doubt on 64 minutes before turning provider with a cut back for Akram Nakach to stab home.
It was pure misery for The Pharaohs and it was compounded three minutes from time when Achraf Hakimi saved the best until last with a sensational 30-yard free kick.
The result sees Tarik Sektioui’s side cap their best run at an Olympics with a podium finish while Egypt end up empty-handed in this third-place play-off the third time in Games history.
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Both sides made no secret of how disappointed they were to miss out on the gold-medal match, but the fact this showdown for bronze pitted Africa against Africa gave it added spice.
It was an entertaining affair at first with the two teams looking to be brave and play attacking football. However, Morocco’s greater potency proved decisive and they outclassed their rivals from there to become the fourth African nation to achieve a podium finish in men’s football at the Olympics.
It capped a swashbuckling Games for The Atlas Lions with some wonderful displays providing memories for life. Indeed, an opening win over world champions Argentina was followed by a thrashing of the USA, with only a late revival from Spain denying them a shot at the ultimate Olympic glory.
There’s no doubt Moroccan football is thriving right now with 17 goals in five matches offering evidence that they were quite possibly the best team to watch in Paris.
Player of the match - Soufiane Rahimi (Morocco)
The 28-year-old put the seal on an excellent couple of weeks. Two more goals and an assist helped to clinch a medal as his talismanic influence again paid dividends for his country.
Player ratings
EGYPT: Alaa 6, Abdelmaguid 6, Shehata 6, El Debes 5, Tarek 6, Saber 6, Adel 6, Koka 6, Zizo 5, Elneny 6, Faisal 5. Subs: Saad 5, Ahmed Atef 5, Ziad Kamal 5, Hamdy n/a, Mazhar n/a.
MOROCCO: El Kajoui 6, Hakimi 8, Nakach 8, Boukamir 7, El Ouahdi 7, El Khannouss 8, Akhomach 7, Ezzalzouli 8, Tarhalline 7, Richardson 7, Rahimi Soufiane 9. Subs: Kechta 6, Maouhoub 6, Ben Seghir 6, Bouchouari 6, Tahif n/a.
Match Highlights
21’ - GOAL! - MOROCCO 1-0 EGYPT: (Abde Ezzalzouli) -That's a beauty! Hakimi's cross from the right is met by Ezzalzouli, who plays a quick one-two before curling a sublime shot into the far corner from just inside the area.
24’ - GOAL! - MOROCCO 2-0 EGYPT: (Soufiane Rahimi) - It's two in three minutes! This time it's a cross from the left and Rahimi is there to thump a header in off the 'keeper.
51’ - GOAL! - MOROCCO 3-0 EGYPT: (Bilal EL Khannouss) - It's surely all over! Bilal El Khannouss picks up the ball 25 yards out, drives beyond two challenges and places a low shot into the far corner.
64' - GOAL! - MOROCCO 4-0 EGYPT: (Soufiane Rahimi) - It's that man again as he seizes upon a wonderful through ball and coolly fires beyond the goalkeeper.
73' - GOAL! - MOROCCO 5-0 EGYPT: (Akram Nakach) - It's five-star Morocco. This time Rahimi turns provider with a low cut back from the left that defender Nakach steers into the back of the net.
87' - GOAL! - MOROCCO 6-0 EGYPT: (Achraf Hakimi) - Egypt have quite literally been hit for SIX. Hakimi puts the cherry on top of the icing on the cake with a sensational 30-yard free kick that crashes off the bar on its way into the top corner.
Key Stat
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer
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