Competing for the bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, neighboring nations Morocco and Egypt clash in Nantes.
After dominating Group B ahead of Argentina and securing a commanding victory over the United States in the quarter-finals, Morocco entered their semi-final clash against Spain with high hopes of reaching the gold-medal match.
However, their impressive journey came to an end at Stade Velodrome, where the Atlas Lions suffered a setback against Spain. Soufiane Rahimi initially gave them the lead from the penalty spot, but they couldn't maintain it. Fermin Lopez equalized in the 66th minute, and Juanlu Sanchez capitalized just before extra time, securing Spain's 2-1 win. Morocco's bid to replicate their senior team's World Cup successes against La Roja fell short.
While they finished fourth in Qatar, losing the third-place playoff, Tarik Sektioui's youthful squad now aims for Olympic glory in the bronze medal match on Thursday.
Egypt, winners of last year's Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations where they defeated Morocco in the final on home soil, now face a significant rematch with their rivals.
Egypt kept their Olympic medal hopes alive with a dramatic late equalizer against Paraguay in the quarter-finals before ultimately prevailing. However, their journey to the final was halted by France, who overturned a deficit to win 3-1 after extra time in Lyon.
Prediction: Egypt U23 1-2 Morocco U23
Egypt U23 vs Morocco U23 stream and TV listing
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