MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Juanlu Sanchez came off the bench Monday to lead Spain to a record fifth consecutive Olympic men’s soccer final.

Sanchez scored in the 85th minute to secure a 2-1 win over Morocco at the Stade de Marseille and earn the right to compete against either France or Egypt in the final. Paris Games.

Morocco finished the first half 1-0 ahead after tournament top scorer Soufiane Rahimi converted a penalty in the 37th minute.

Spain equalised in the 65th minute when Fermin Lopez showed quickness in the penalty area to fire a low left-footed shot into the bottom corner. The Barcelona midfielder then provided the pass for Sanchez to sweep the winning goal into the far corner.

Spain, which won the gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, lost to Brazil in the final at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

After the successful year of the men’s A team, he will have the chance to make up for it and achieve success. Won the European Championship last month.

It was another painful elimination for Morocco in the semi-finals of a major tournament.

Morocco became the first Arab and African country to advance to the 2022 World Cup semifinals, eventually finishing fourth, and will have a better chance of doing so when it plays in the bronze medal match.

Playing in front of a large crowd of Moroccan fans, the team was in danger of pulling off another surprise at these Games after beating Argentina in the group stage.

Rahimi, who started the match with 5 goals, increased his goal count to 6 by cold-bloodedly hitting a cross past Spanish goalkeeper Arnau Tenas from the penalty spot.

Spain equalized in the first half’s injury time when Alex Baena’s shot from 25 meters hit the post.

Lopez’s brilliant strike equalised – his fourth goal of the tournament – and his over-the-top celebrations earned him a yellow card after he kicked the corner flag, splitting it in two.

Morocco came close to a possible victory before Sanchez secured victory for Spain, which has won three silver medals and won its only gold medal in ’92.

Spain’s women’s national team is also in the semi-finals; they will face Brazil, also in Marseille, on Tuesday.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games