Spain’s Substitute, Juanlu Sanchez, scored a crucial late goal to lead Spain to a 2-1 comeback victory against Morocco on Monday, securing a place in the Olympics men’s football final.
Morocco initially took the lead in the semi-final with a Soufiane Rahimi penalty towards the end of the first half at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
However, Fermin Lopez from Barcelona equalized in the second half and then assisted Sevilla’s right-back Sanchez for the winning goal.
This marks Spain’s second consecutive appearance in the finals of the Olympic men’s football tournament, having settled for silver three years ago in Tokyo after losing to Brazil in extra time.
Spain, aiming for their second gold after their victory in Barcelona in 1992, will face either hosts France or Egypt in the final in Paris on Friday.
Meanwhile, Morocco still has a chance to secure their first medal by competing in the bronze medal match scheduled for Thursday in Nantes.
Despite Morocco’s strong performance throughout the tournament, Spain managed to stay focused and turn the game around after Rahimi’s early goal.
The match took a significant turn when Morocco was awarded a penalty following a VAR check for a foul by Pablo Barrios on Amir Richardson in the box, allowing Rahimi to score his sixth goal of the Olympics, with four of them from penalties.
Spain’s Lopez equalized in the 66th minute, taking advantage of a loose ball in the box to score and make it 1-1.
In the 85th minute, with extra time looming, Lopez set up Sanchez for the winning goal with a low shot into the far corner.
AFP.