Soufiane Rahimi scored twice as Morocco beat Egypt 6-0 to win the bronze medal, their first Olympic medal.
Abde Ezzalzouli, Bilal El Khannouss, Akram Nakach, and Achraf Hakimi also scored. Morocco led 2-0 at halftime, thrilling their fans at La Beaujoire Stadium in Nantes.
Rahimi scored the most goals in the tournament, with eight. At 28, he is one of the older players allowed on under-23 Olympic teams.
This was Egypt’s third time finishing fourth at the Olympics, after Amsterdam in 1928 and Tokyo in 1964.
Morocco was inspired by their senior men’s team, which reached the World Cup semifinals in 2022, and motivated by their loyal fans in France.
“We wanted to win the gold medal, that’s for sure, but to win a game like this, to get our country’s first-ever medal here and in front of so many of our fans, it feels incredible,” said forward Ilias Akhomach.
The team also beat the United States 4-0 in the quarterfinals at Parc des Princes in Paris but lost 2-1 to Spain in the semifinals. Spain will face France on Friday for the gold medal.
Moroccan fans have been very supportive throughout the tournament. During the group stage, they rushed the field and threw bottles after a 2-1 win over Argentina, causing a two-hour suspension.
Rahimi’s first goal was a header in the 26th minute, which Egypt’s goalkeeper Hamza Alaa couldn’t stop.
Just before that, Ezzalzouli scored from the top of the penalty area and celebrated with a prayer on the field.
Midfielder El Khannouss, back from a suspension, scored Morocco’s third goal in the 51st minute after a strong run.
Rahimi scored again in the 64th minute and assisted Nakach’s goal in the 73rd. Hakimi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, scored with a late free kick.
Egypt coach Rogerio Micale praised Morocco’s excellent finishing, while noting it was not Egypt’s day.
Egypt was missing Omar Fayed, who was red-carded in the semifinal, and winger Zizo, who left early with an injury.
