Olympic Soccer: Morocco Suffers Upset Loss to Ukraine in Paris Games

– bySaid@Bladi · 1 min read
Olympic Soccer: Morocco Suffers Upset Loss to Ukraine in Paris Games

The Moroccan team suffered its first defeat at the Paris Olympics, losing 2-1 to Ukraine on Saturday in Saint-Étienne. This underperformance complicates the task of the Atlas Lions in this group stage.

Dominant, the Moroccans were surprised by the Ukrainian opening goal in the 22nd minute. Despite a reaction of pride and an equalizing goal from Soufiane Rahimi on a penalty, the teammates of Achraf Hakimi could not avoid defeat, conceding a second goal at the end of the match.

The men of Tarik Sektioui had nevertheless started the match well, displaying good ball control and several clear chances. But luck smiled on the Ukrainians, more efficient in both penalty areas. Moroccan goalkeeper Munir El Kajoui made multiple saves, but could not prevent the defeat.

With this defeat, Morocco finds itself in a more delicate situation in its group. They will have to win against the Iraqi team to hope for qualification in the round of 16 of the Paris Olympics.