The Moroccan national football team tied with its Argentine counterpart, with two goals each, in the match that brought them together today at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne, in the first round of the group stage in the football competitions at the “Paris 2024” Olympic Games.
It will continue until August 9, with the participation of 16 teams from 6 different continents.
The top scorer of the AFC Champions League and its champion with Al Ain, the Emirati, Sofiane Rahimi, opened the scoring for his country’s team in the 45+2 minute, and the first half ended with a goal to none.
Rahimi doubled the score in the 51st minute from the penalty spot.
The Argentine national team reduced the difference with a goal by Juliano Simeone, in the (68) minute, and Christian Medina equalized the score in the 16th minute after the ninetieth, saving his country’s team from defeat.
In terms of events, the Moroccan team showed great boldness in attack and knew how to exploit the opportunities that were available to it despite the defensive caution of the competitor.
The Moroccan national team succeeded in opening the scoring in stoppage time of the first half when Villarreal’s Spanish striker Elias Akhomach cleverly passed the ball to Bilal El Khannous, who penetrated the area and played a cross that was followed by Soufiane Rahimi from close range into the goal in the (45+2) minute.
In the second half, Elias Akhomach was awarded a penalty kick when he was pushed from behind by defender Julio Barreto inside the penalty area. Rahimi successfully converted the penalty kick into the net, doubling the score in minute (51).
The Argentine national team reduced the difference through Giuliano Simeone when he followed up from close range a powerful shot by defender Barreto from inside the area in the (68) minute.
Goalkeeper Munir Al-Mohammadi saved his goal from a certain goal by stopping Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez in a one-on-one with him in the (82) minute.
Argentina snatched the equaliser with a header from substitute Merida, who took advantage of a rebound from the crossbar in the 90+16 minute.
In the third group, at the Parc des Princes stadium in the French capital, Paris, the Spanish national team managed to defeat the Uzbekistan national team by two goals to one.
The Spanish national team took the lead through its player Marc Bobby, who received the ball at the left post following a header from Abel Ruiz in the (28) minute.
Uzbekistan appeared well after the goal, trying to equalize the score and were the better side, but failed to reach goalkeeper Arnau Tenas’ net.
The Uzbek team succeeded in equalizing the score in stoppage time when a penalty kick was awarded to them, which Eldor Shomurodov successfully converted in the (45+3) minute.
In the second half, the Spanish team imposed its control, but it faced great difficulties in reaching the goal of the Uzbek goalkeeper Abdulvahid Nematov, who excelled in defending his goal by stopping the penalty kick executed by Sergio Gomez in the 59th minute.
Sergio Gomez, who recently moved to Real Sociedad, was able to compensate and give his country the lead again with a powerful shot from inside the penalty area in the (62) minute.
The sixteen teams participate in the Olympics as Olympic teams (under 23 years old), in addition to using three players over this age to strengthen their ranks.
