Rabat – Despite a heartbreaking loss to Spain 2-1 in the semifinals of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Morocco’s Olympic football team remains determined to clinch a bronze medal.
In a post-match interview with Arryadia, Coach Tarik Sektioui has emphasized the importance of learning from their mistakes and focusing on their upcoming bronze medal match against Egypt. The Pharaohs lost to France 3-1 last night in the other semifinal game.
Sektioui expressed his disappointment with the semifinal result, but emphasized the team’s focus on securing a bronze medal. “Certainly, there is great disappointment because we aspired to reach the final. Throughout the match, I believe we started with many technical errors and were too hasty when we had the ball,” Sektioui commented.
Despite the rocky start, the team managed to gradually get into the game, scoring a goal and managing the match well thereafter, Sektioui said. Soufiane Rahimi scored the match opener in the 36th minute of the game.
However, Spain’s Fermin Loper scored an equalizer in the 66th minute of the game, followed by a second goal in the 72nd minute through Adrian Bernabe.
Sektioui noted that the team were not able to regain control due to time constraints. He highlighted the importance of learning from their mistakes, saying that “this is also a lesson for these young players for the future.”
The U-23 coach and his team aim to turn their disappointment into victory and bring home a medal to celebrate their efforts on the international stage.
“There is great disappointment, but at the same time, there is a medal that we must win. We need to overcome this disappointment and play Thursday’s match to ensure our trip here is successful. This success can only be achieved with a medal,” he stressed.
