Egypt produced a stunning performance to defeat Spain 2-1 in their final Group C match of the Men’s Olympic Football tournament, securing top spot and a place in the quarter-finals.
The match, held at the Matmut Atlantique stadium on Tuesday afternoon, saw Egypt overcome early Spanish dominance to claim a victory that few had predicted.
Spain, already qualified and boasting a perfect record coming into the game, found themselves outmaneuvered by a determined Egyptian side.
The breakthrough came just before half-time when Zizo’s surging run down the right flank set up Ibrahim Adel, who curled a magnificent shot past the Spanish goalkeeper from the edge of the area.
Adel, the star of Egypt’s U-23 AFCON campaign, doubled his tally and Egypt’s lead in the 59th minute, capitalizing on a defensive error by Jon Pacheco to slot home coolly.
Spain pushed for a response and found a consolation through Samu Omorodion in the 90th minute, but it was too little, too late for the European side.
The result sees Egypt finish top of Group C with seven points, leapfrogging Spain who end the group stage in second place with six points.
Both teams progress to the quarter-finals, while the Dominican Republic’s Olympic journey comes to an end following their 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan.
