Morocco claimed a first Olympic medal at the eighth time of asking as they swept aside Egypt 6-0 at the Stade de la Beaujoire on Thursday.
Abde Ezzalzouli and Soufiane Rahimi impressed for the Atlas Lions, with their first half goals sending Tarik Sektioui's on their way to a podium finish at the Games.
Bilal El Khannouss, Rahimi, Akram Nakach and a stunning free-kick from captain Achraf Hakimi would add further gloss to an impressive display after the break.
Morocco got off to an excellent start through Ezzalzouli's curling effort from outside the box, as Rahimi added a second three minutes later with a powerful header.
The result was put beyond doubt when El Khannouss notched Morocco's third, with Rahimi netting his sixth goal of the tournament just after the hour mark.
Rahimi then turned provider to set up Nakach inside the area, with Hakimi rounding off a fine display in style with an exquisite dead ball effort from distance.
Data Debrief: Rahimi stars in Atlas Lions' landmark triumph
12 years after their last appearance at the Olympic Games in London, Morocco returned with a bang, ending an impressive campaign with a deserved bronze medal.
Rahimi, who plays his football in the UAE with Al Ain, has been arguably the standout player of the tournament and leads the race for the Golden Boot ahead of France's Jean-Philippe Mateta and Spain's Fermin Lopez.
Morocco outperformed their expected goals (xG) by 4.76, with Rahimi contributing 0.82 to their xG total (1.24), while also registering the most shots on target (two) and touches in the opposition box (seven).
Team USA reach Olympic basketball final with thrilling comeback versus Serbia
The United States launched a thrilling comeback to reach the basketball gold medal match at the Paris Olympics with a 95-91 win over Serbia, as Stephen Curry starred with 36 points.
Team USA – who have won gold at the last four editions of the Olympics – looked set to miss out on Saturday's final when Serbia entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead.
NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 17 points and 11 assists for Serbia, who led by as many as 17 points at one stage in the first half.
Bogdan Bogdanovic had 20 points for Serbia while Aleksa Avramovic had 15, but Serbia were unable to hold on and avenge their 110-84 loss to the USA in the group stage.
Golden State Warriors star Curry carried the USA's offense for most of the game, though it was LeBron James' driving layup that tied the contest at 84-84 with under four minutes remaining.
The USA struggled defensively for long periods but finally began to put real pressure on Serbia late in the fourth quarter, and a missed 3-pointer from Ognjen Dobric with Serbia 86-84 up proved decisive.
Curry put the USA ahead with a 3-point jumper on a James assist with two minutes and 24 seconds left, then layups from both players stretched their lead as Serbia wilted.
Twice Serbia drew within two points in the final minute, only for two Curry free throws to seal the USA's victory with eight seconds on the clock.
They will face hosts France – led by NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama – in Saturday's gold medal match, after Serbia face Germany for bronze.
James added 12 rebounds and 10 assists to his 16 points to finish with a triple-double, while USA team-mate Joel Embiid brought up 19 points.
Emotional Tebogo dedicates shock 200m triumph to late mother
An emotional Letsile Tebogo dedicated his gold medal in the men's 200m at the Paris Olympics to his late mother after stunning his rivals at the Stade de France.
Noah Lyles, who won 100m gold on Sunday, entered Thursday's final as the clear favourite but could only manage a bronze medal, with US Track and Field subsequently revealing he was suffering from COVID-19.
Fellow American Kenny Bednarek took silver, with Tebogo's time of 19.46 seconds seeing him become Botswana's first Olympic gold medallist in any sport.
They previously won bronze in the men's 4 x 400 relay at the Tokyo Games three years ago, while Nijel Amos took silver in the men's 800m at London 2012.
Tebogo's triumph came just three months after his mother Seratiwa passed away following a brief illness.
After the race, Tebogo held up his spikes to the cameras to display a message detailing his mother's date of birth, before dedicating his victory to her.
"It's basically me carrying her through every stride that I take inside the field," Tebogo told reporters.
"To take her with me, it gives me a lot of motivation. She's watching up there, and she's really, really happy."
Holloway claims gold in 110m hurdles at Paris Olympics
Grant Holloway stormed to the gold medal in the 110m hurdles final at the Paris Olympics, having missed out by five hundredths of a second in Tokyo three years ago.
Holloway was edged out by Jamaica's Hansle Parchment at the delayed 2020 Games but travelled to France having won three straight World Championship golds.
He flew out of the blocks in Thursday's final at the Stade de France, taking the crown with a time of 12.99 seconds.
Fellow American Daniel Roberts claimed silver with a time of 13.09, with Jamaica's Rasheed Broadbell taking bronze.
Holloway sprinted to the bell following his triumph before declaring: "I've made it. I've done it. I am the Olympic champion."
The 26-year-old had previously won gold at the World Indoor Championships and the Diamond League, in addition to his triumphs at the 2019, 2022 and 2023 World Championships.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
