Moroccan soccer is in the spotlight right now. Two years ago, the men’s team made it to the World Cup semifinals, and they have achieved the same feat at the Paris Olympics.
Morocco beat the United States 4-0 in the quarterfinals and will play Spain on Monday for a chance to get to the final.
“I have one goal here, which is to win the medal,” Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi said, referring to gold.
Reaching the final would be especially meaningful for Hakimi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain and would get to play at his home stadium, Parc des Princes, if Morocco advances.
Most Morocco matches have felt like home games due to the enthusiastic support in France, which has a large Moroccan community. Moroccan fans filled Parc des Princes for the win over the Americans.
The same support will be present for the semifinal in Marseille, France’s oldest city with strong North African ties.
“The fans follow us everywhere we go. Let’s hope it continues like this until the end of the tournament. We are here to make them feel proud of us,” Hakimi said.
However, support has sometimes gone too far, such as when fans rushed the field and threw bottles during Morocco’s 2-1 win over Argentina in the group stage, leading to a suspension of about two hours.
Against the U.S., fans were told not to light flares after several were set off following Morocco’s first goal.
Morocco’s fans made a big impression at the Qatar World Cup in 2022 by becoming the first Arab and African team to reach the semifinals, eventually finishing in fourth place.
This year, Morocco didn’t repeat that success at the African Cup of Nations, being eliminated by South Africa in the round of 16, but the team won the Under-23 version of the tournament to qualify for the Olympics and show its depth of talent.
At these games, the Moroccan team has reached the semifinals for the first time and has a chance to win a medal. Their victory over Argentina was an impressive start to the tournament.
“We are a proud, proud country. We love our country,” Morocco coach Tarik Sektioui said. “We all love to be Moroccan and, it’s (taken) a lot of work.
We as coaches or players are determined to improve and (show) to everybody that Moroccan players can be world players and the Moroccan coach can be also a good, world, coach. It’s just a question of work and mentality.”
Morocco’s senior team surprised Spain by knocking it out of the last World Cup, and the Olympic team is aiming to do the same and reach the final against France or Egypt.
Spain won gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and has won silver three times, including at the last Games in Tokyo when it lost to Brazil in the final.
Spanish soccer is also doing well right now, with the men’s team winning the European Championship this summer and the women’s team winning the world championship last year. Both the men’s and women’s teams are in the semifinals at the Olympics.
If Morocco wins, it could be thanks to the tournament’s top scorer, Soufiane Rahimi.
The 28-year-old striker was one of Sektioui’s choices for overage players. The Olympic men’s tournament usually only allows players under 23, except for three overage players. Rahimi’s choice has paid off, as he has scored five goals so far.
Rahimi plays for Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates and won the Asian Champions League last season, being the top scorer with 13 goals. Al Ain also knocked out Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the quarterfinals.
Sektioui believes Rahimi has the talent to play in one of Europe’s top leagues.
“Last year he was one of the best strikers in Asia and won the Asian Cup (Champions League). That means everything,” the Morocco coach said. “He has everything… he’s explosive, he’s clever, he can score.”
