Morocco vs Spain – 2024 Olympics – Match Preview, Team News and Updates

2024-08-05 ScoreWaves Staff

The football tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics has reached its business teams, with just four teams remaining in the tournament. The first match of the day will see the mighty Spain take on an up-and-coming Moroccan national team.

Both Spain and Morocco have been two of the best teams at the Olympics, and that’s why they are in the semis. Their consistently brilliant performances have taken them to the cusp of Olympic glory. However, one small mistake or misstep could spell doom for their Olympic dream.

Both Spain and Morocco wouldn’t want to go home empty handed after coming this far in the tournament. So, with the game finely poised, which team would come out on top in this high-stakes showdown?

Morocco vs Spain – Match Preview

The Spanish Men’s National football team has been one of the most consistent teams at Olympics. In fact, they have won Olympic medals on four separate occasions, with the latest coming at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Now, they aim to reach their second consecutive Men’s Football Olympics final. However, they would have to first overcome Morocco in the semis.

The Atlas Lions have surprised everyone by reaching their first Olympics Semifinals. However, this wouldn’t come as a surprise to most football fans who witnessed Morocco’s fairytale run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They defeated Spain in the Round of 16 that World Cup. And many believe that this Moroccan side can repeat that result because of their talented roster, which consists of the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Soufiane Rahimi, Abde Ezzalzouli and many more.

The Atlas Lions started their tournament with a shock victory over tournament favorites, Argentina. Following a win in their opener, Morocco succumbed to a loss at the hands of Ukraine by a scoreline of 2-1. However, Morocco sealed their quarterfinals spot with a dominant 3-0 win over Iraq. The Moroccans breezed past USMNT during their quarterfinal match up, winning by a scoreline of 4-0.

On the other hand, Spain road to semifinals has been much more straightforward. La Roja started their Olympic campaign with two consecutive wins against Uzbekistan and Dominican Republic. However, a loss against Egypt in their third and final group stage game meant that they would have to face an in-form Japanese side. Japan had won all of their group stage games. However, La Roja made light work out of Japan, as they eased past Japan by a scoreline of 3-0 in the quarters.

Morocco vs Spain – Team News and Updates

Spain have been consistently brilliant during the 2024 Olympics. Their sole defeat of the campaign came against Egypt. However, Spanish head coach Santi Denia had rested most of his key starters for that game because La Roja had already qualified for the quarters. Denia reverted by to his preferred lineup in quarters against Japan.

Barcelona starlets Fermin Lopez and Pau Cubarsi have been at the heart of Spain’s impressive tournament. The 21-year-old midfielder even netted a brace in the quarters. Apart from them, other youngsters like Sergio Gomez, Alex Baena, Pablo Barrios and Eric Garcia have also impressed. Santi Denia will rely on them to guide La Roja to their second consecutive Olympics final.

Going into the game, many fans consider Morocco as the underdogs. However, the Atlas Lions have learned to live with that tag. They have constantly outperformed expectations in recent years. Reaching the semifinals is already a big deal, but the Moroccan would like to go one better and reach the finals. They certainly have the personnel to overcome the Spanish challenge.

PSG’s flying fullback Achraf Hakimi has led the Atlas Giants with passion and panache. He will be a handful for both the Spanish defence and attack. Apart from Hakimi, Morocco also possesses tournament top scorer, Soufiane Rahimi, in their ranks. The Moroccan forward has already scored five goals at the tournament. La Roja will certainly be weary of his attacking exploits. With a fully fit roster, Morocco will surely give a tough fit to their Mediterranean neighbors.