Morocco Wins First-Ever Olympic Football Medal
Egypt’s Pharaohs and Morocco’s Atlas Lions had legendary runs at the Paris Olympics men’s football competition, reaching the semi-finals for the first time in their respective histories. But it was the Atlas Lions that came out on top after the game on August 8. They scored six goals without getting a response from the Pharaohs. It is the first Olympic football medal of any kind for a North African team.
Going into the semi-final, both nations hoped to continue a trend that began with Nigeria in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, which has seen African and Latin American teams win every gold medal, with Brazil repeating as Olympic champions at Tokyo 2020.
Egypt, Africa’s oldest national football team and the first African football team to compete at the Olympics (1920), placed first in its group. The Pharaohs went on to defeat Paraguay in the quarter-finals, braving dramatic penalty shootouts. In the semi-final, they lost 3 - 1 to France after the match went into extra-time.
Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images.
Players of Team Egypt line up prior to the Men's semifinal match between France and Egypt during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de Lyon on August 05, 2024 in Lyon, France.
Morocco, a football nation that has been gaining prominence at international championships and placed fourth at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022, also topped its group, reaching the knockout stage for the first time since 1972. The Atlas Lions went on to crush the U.S. 4-0 in the quarter-finals, but lost 2-1 to Spain in the semi-final.
Since both North African nations missed out on the chance to win gold, they had to compete against each other for the bronze medal. In their last face off at the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations final hosted in Morocco in 2023, the Atlas Lions defeated the Pharaohs 2-1.
The regional rivals battled it out at La Beaujoire Stadium in Nantes, seeking a historic first Olympic football medal for their country. Both teams entered the game with three wins under their belt, with Morocco having lost twice in this competition while Egypt achieved one draw and suffered one loss.
Photo by Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images.
Morocco squad poses for team photo during the men's semi-final match between Morocco and Spain during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de Marseille on August 5, 2024 in Marseille, France.
Ahead of today's game, Morocco was predicted to win. The Pharaohs have never topped a podium since 2010, when they won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the record seventh time. Now that the North African region has secured its first Olympic football medal, both teams can look back at a historic run to build on in the future.
The men’s Olympic squads are different to the national teams, because of a regulation mandated in 1992 that requires male competitors to be under 23 years old. Since 1996, a maximum of three players over the age of 23 are allowed per team, which has historically given advantage to young African teams such as Nigeria and Cameroon.
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