In a thrilling night of Olympic men’s football action, African representatives Morocco and Egypt were eliminated in the semifinals.
Morocco’s impressive run came to an end as they suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Spain at the Stade de Bordeaux.
The Moroccans took the lead in the 35th minute through a stunning strike from Sofiane Boufal, but Spain equalized just before halftime through a header from Oscar Gil.
The Spanish sealed the win in the 63rd minute with a goal from Marco Asensio, despite Morocco’s valiant efforts to find an equalizer.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Olympic dreams were dashed as they lost 3-1 to France in extra time at the Stade de Nantes.
The Egyptians had held the French to a 1-1 draw after regular time, with Ahmed Abdelkader canceling out a goal from French striker Florian Thauvin.
However, France dominated extra time, scoring two goals through Teji Savanier and a second from Thauvin to seal the win.
Despite their elimination, both Morocco and Egypt can hold their heads high after achieving historic milestones by reaching the semifinals.
The two teams will now face off in the bronze medal match in Nantes on Thursday, with Morocco seeking to claim their first-ever Olympic medal.
Diaspora Digital Media understands that the stage is now set for the gold medal match, with Spain taking on France in a highly anticipated showdown at the Stade de Lyon on Saturday.