Morocco Secures Historic Bronze in Men’s Football at the 2024 Olympics with a Dominant 6-0 Victory
Morocco made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by securing their first-ever medal in men’s football, decisively defeating Egypt 6-0 in the bronze medal match on August 8 at La Beaujoire Stadium in Nantes.
Despite not having an overwhelming advantage in possession, controlling only 49% of the ball, Morocco showcased exceptional finishing skills. Their precise attacks led to six goals from seven shots on target, leaving Egypt reeling.
The match began evenly, but Morocco quickly seized control. In the 23rd minute, Abde Ezzalzouli, a former Barcelona player, curled a beautiful right-footed shot from the edge of the box to open the scoring. Just three minutes later, Soufiane Rahimi doubled the lead with a close-range header.
The floodgates opened early in the second half when Bilal El Khannouss struck a stunning shot from outside the penalty area to make it 3-0, effectively sealing Egypt’s fate. Morocco continued their onslaught, with Rahimi, Akram Nakach, and PSG star Achraf Hakimi each adding goals to complete the 6-0 rout.
Reflecting on the win, forward Ilias Akhomach expressed his pride, saying, “We wanted the gold, but winning this match and bringing home Morocco’s first football medal while receiving so much support from our fans is an incredible feeling.”
This victory caps off an extraordinary journey for Morocco, following the national team’s remarkable run to the semifinals at the 2022 World Cup. Morocco dominated their Olympic campaign with victories over Argentina (2-1), Ukraine (2-1), and Iraq (3-0) in the group stage, followed by a 4-0 win over the United States in the quarterfinals, before narrowly losing to Spain in the semifinals.
Soufiane Rahimi emerged as the standout player of the tournament, scoring eight goals—four more than his closest competitors, Jean-Philippe Mateta of France and Fermin Lopez of Spain—virtually ensuring his title as the tournament’s top scorer. The 28-year-old currently plays for Al Ain in the UAE and has one goal for the Moroccan national team.
While this marks Morocco’s first Olympic medal in men’s football, Egypt finished fourth for the third time, having previously missed out on medals in Amsterdam 1928 and Tokyo 1964.
Egypt’s coach, Rogerio Micale, who led Brazil to gold on home soil at the Rio 2016 Olympics, acknowledged Morocco’s superiority, stating, “Morocco was clinical in front of goal today, converting almost every chance. Unfortunately, we couldn’t match that level of performance.”
