• Spain beat Morocco in thrilling Olympic semi-final

• Fermin Lopez, Juanlu Sanchez, Abel Ruiz and Santi Denia speak to FIFA

• La Roja will face France in mouth-watering gold medal match

An imposing sea of red greeted Spain when they walked out at an electrified Stade de Marseille for their Men’s Olympic Football Tournament semi-final.

The overwhelming majority of those fans, however, were not there to roar on La Roja. The intoxicating din was instead created by Morocco’s feverish fans, who had rocked up in their thousands hoping to power their team to a famous victory.

For much of the game, that looked like exactly what was going to happen. As the clock ticked past the hour, Morocco led 1-0 thanks to Soufiane Rahimi’s first-half penalty, and every Atlas Lions foray forward and tackle won elicited a deafening, guttural response from the crowd.

Spain, however, simply refused to buckle. They continued to show the courage to pass, move and create. As the second half wore on – and their technical excellence came to the fore – they levelled through Fermin Lopez before Juanlu Sanchez struck a dramatic late winner.

Asked by FIFA if he was able to enjoy playing in such a white-hot, partisan atmosphere, Lopez’s beaming smile and hearty laugh told the story before his reply.

“I love it,” said the Barcelona star. “I love the pressure. I even love the shouting! I think it motivates us more and you saw that.

“We have a lot of confidence in ourselves. The match was very difficult for us, but we were able to turn it around. We are a family. We are all together, with the same goal in mind, and you can see that on the field. We deserve to be in the final.”

Spain will face host nation France in Friday’s gold medal match at Parc des Princes, meaning Lopez and Co will have to contend with a crowd vociferously supporting their opponents.

“It’s another atmosphere that I will like,” said Lopez, who has scored four goals at Paris 2024. “In any situation, we can overcome anything. Now we want to get the gold.”

Spain coach Santi Denia paid tribute to the collective character his players displayed to prevail against such high-quality opposition.

“They have shown [resilience] in the face of difficulty – in a full stadium, full of fans cheering for their country. Morocco would also have been worthy finalists for the work they have done. We are delighted. We coaches help the players, but they are the ones who play the game.” Denia, however, did play a key role in the tie taking a decisive swing. Shortly before Lopez’s leveller, he introduced livewire Sevilla winger Sanchez from the bench. The 20-year-old proved to be the game’s match-winner, arrowing in a precision low drive five minutes from time to spark scenes of wild celebration among Spain’s players and staff.

“The coach told me that substitutes are very important in this type of match,” Sanchez told FIFA. “Spain scored the goal in the EURO final with a substitute [Mikel Oyarzabal] and today it was my turn.

“It was incredible to score the goal that put Spain in the final. Now it’s time to enjoy it with my team-mates and family. We have been chasing a dream for 40 days [since the start of the Olympic camp], which is to win the gold medal. We are getting closer and closer to it, and that’s an incredible thing.”

Spain captain Abel Ruiz, meanwhile, explained how the team’s unity has been the bedrock of their Olympic Games success.

“On a human level, we have an incredible team,” said the Braga striker. “That’s what we transmit on the field. It was an unbelievable match against Morocco. They played very hard, with their fans [behind them]. Whether they’re for or against us, it’s incredible to be able to have the stadiums full. We enjoyed it very much and we showed a lot of character.

“We knew that the majority of the fans were supporting them, but you have to focus on what you do on the pitch. That’s what we did and that’s why we’re in the final. I’m proud to be part of this group.”