Spain is the first team in the men’s soccer tournament to confirm its spot in the gold medal match, while Morocco will play for bronze.
France takes on Egypt in the other semifinal match as host nation will look to make it an all-European final.
Still to come…
France vs. Egypt: 3 p.m. ET
Morocco vs. Spain
Played in an electric atmosphere, Spain showed resiliency in its 2-1 comeback win against Morocco in the first semifinal match of the tournament.
Soufiane Rahimi got his sixth goal of the tournament after he converted a penalty in the 37th minute to put Morocco up 1-0. The African nation looked comfortable hanging on to its one-goal lead throughout the first half and the start of the second, but Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez scored his fourth goal at the tournament in the 66th minute to put Spain level. Both sides had a fair share of the ball in the last 20 minutes of the match, but Spain proved to be the only side to capitalize on its clear-cut chance in the 85th minute. A slick pass from Lopez to set up Juanlu Sanchez in a 1-on-1 situation against Morocco’s goalkeeper, and Sanchez was able to cooly put the ball in the back of the net to give his side a late 2-1 lead.
Morocco was unable to find an equalizer in stoppage time as the team lost. The majority of fans in the stands were Moroccan supporters, and the fun will not stop just yet for them as Morocco will play in the bronze medal match. Spain did an excellent job of limiting Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi from having an impact, and as a result, the Europeans will play in the gold medal match.
Spain will play against the winner in the other semifinal match between France and Egypt.
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