Egypt vs Morocco
Morocco have done it again. Just like their senior counterparts during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Atlas Lions shocked the world when they made it to the semi-finals of a major football tournament here in Paris.
But this time, Morocco are hoping for a slightly different outcome, as they will aim for the Olympics 2024 medal when they take on Egypt in the bronze medal match on Thursday at La Beaujoire Stadium in Nantes.
Morocco made it this far by topping Group B alongside Argentina and by demolishing the United States in the quarter-finals. However, their unprecedented run for gold came to an abrupt end when they lost to Spain in the semi-finals.
Egypt also topped Group C, although they barely survived against Paraguay in the quarter-finals. They almost scored a huge upset against France in the semi-finals, but they ran out of gas.
Which of these two underdogs will claim the Olympic bronze? Without further ado, here’s our SBOTOP match preview.
Talking Points
Can Rahimi produce more magic for Morocco?
Assuming Fermin Lopez and Jean-Philippe Mateta don’t record hat-tricks in the gold medal match on Friday, Soufiane Rahimi is likely to win the Olympic Golden Boot award, even if he doesn’t score against Egypt on Thursday.
Rahimi has notched six goals in the quadrennial meet, so he has the hot hand. After scoring a brace against Argentina in the opener, the Al Ain striker also created Olympics 2024 highlights against Ukraine, Iraq, the United States, and Spain.
Because of this, Rahimi etched his name in Morocco’s history books as the country’s all-time leading scorer in Olympic football, and he could add more to his total against Egypt.
If he notches a brace on Thursday, Rahimi will become the ninth player in Olympic football history to have eight goals, but a hat-trick could place him alongside Gottfried Fuchs and Kazimierz Deyna in the record books for having nine goals.
Rahimi had Morocco fans dreaming when he scored the opening goal against tournament favourites Spain in the semi-finals via a penalty. However, Fermin Lopez and Juanlu Sanchez secured the 2-1 comeback for La Roja.
Other than Soufiane Rahimi, Morocco have other weapons that can wreak havoc for Egypt, as Amir Richardson, Ilias Akhomach, Abde Ezzalzouli, Achraf Hakimi, and El Mehdi Maouhoub have shown the capability to find the back of the net for the Atlas Lions in the Paris Olympics.
Regardless of what happens on Thursday, Morocco are widely recognised as a rising power in football today.
Adel is the man for Egypt
Soufiane Rahimi is not the only forward that’s on the spotlight in the bronze medal match, as Egypt have their own in Ibrahim Adel.
The 23-year-old Pyramids winger has three goals in the Paris Olympics, as he recorded a brace in their upset 2-1 win over Spain in the group stage and scoring the equaliser against Paraguay during regulation of their quarter-finals match.
After giving the Pharaohs a lifeline, Adel again saved the day by scoring the game-sealing kick during the succeeding penalty shootout.
Ibrahim Adel has seen his stock rise in this tournament, and according to reports, Lyon have started to keep tabs on him here in the summer transfer window.
Egypt will also need another huge performance from their goalkeeper Hamza Alaa, similar to his heroics against Paraguay, if they are going to beat the Moroccans.
History
Egypt and Morocco aren’t expected to be here because of their prior Olympics history. The Pharaohs and the Atlas Lions have never reached the Olympic semi-finals before this year.
Egypt made it to the last eight on four occasions in 11 previous attempts, including in London 2012 and Tokyo 2020, Morocco also broke new ground in Paris, as they have never made it out of the group stage before reaching the last four this year.
These two nations are perennial rivals in Africa, as they’ve faced off 30 times across all competitions. Unfortunately for Egypt, the Olympics 2024 odds do no fancy their chances of winning since they’ve only recorded four wins, 12 draws, and 14 losses in that span.
In the 2022 World Cup, Morocco took the world by storm by making it to the last four, beating Spain and Portugal before losing to France. The Atlas Lions took on Croatia in the bronze medal match but lost 2-1.
While the journey of both teams is remarkable, unfortunately, only one of them could win their first-ever Olympic men’s football medal on Thursday, which is quite an achievement in itself.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
