On the 9th (local time), in the men’s soccer gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at the Parc des Princes, Spain defeated the home team France 5-3 and stood at the top of the Olympics for the first time in 32 years.
-Spain is ahead
France, led by legendary striker Thierry Henry, took the lead early in the match. France took the lead in the 11th minute of the first half when Spanish goalkeeper Arnau Tenas (23, PSG) failed to properly handle a shot by Enzo Milot (22, VfB Stuttgart).
However, 7 minutes later, Fermin Lopez (21, FC Barcelona) finished off a sharp ground through pass from Alex Baena (23, Villarreal) with a non-stop shot, tying the score at 1-1.
In the 25th minute of the first half, Fermin Lopez, who was looking for a second ball, quickly ran and scored after a shot blocked by French goalkeeper Guillaume Rest (19, Toulouse), and succeeded in turning the game around. Just 3 minutes later, Alex Baena scored another picturesque free kick goal, giving Spain the upper hand with a score of 3 to 1 in the first half.
-France following suit
After halftime, France launched a fierce second-half offensive to turn the game around. In the 34th minute, France were awarded a free kick on the edge of the penalty area. French ace Michael Olisse (23, Bayern Munich) crossed the ball, but substitute Magnes Achlieusz (22, AS Monaco) deftly deflected it to score.
And then, in the 45th minute of added time in the second half, when the scoreless attack was about to resume, during a corner kick situation for France, Spanish left back Juan Miranda (24, Bologna FC) tripped France’s Arnaud Calimiando (22, Stade Rennes) in the penalty box.
Initially, no foul was called, but due to strong protests from the French players, VAR was eventually consulted, and a foul was awarded, giving France a valuable penalty kick. Jean-Philippe Mateta (27, Crystal Palace) converted perfectly, dramatically leveling the score at 3-3.
-The final winner is Spain
Eventually, the two teams entered overtime and poured out their remaining power through substitutions.
In the 10th minute of extra time, Sergio Camello (23, Rayo Baecano) received a killer pass from Adrian Bernaby (23, Parma Calcio) and calmly scored with a chip shot in a 1-on-1 situation with the goalkeeper.
With this, France, who were cornered on all sides, continued to attack in the second half of extra time, trying to equalize the score. However, in the first minute of added time in the second half of extra time, Spain’s goalkeeper Arnau Tenas, who had made a mistake that day, threw the ball far into the empty French defense and connected it to the rushing Sergio Kameo, who once again scored the winning goal, causing all the Spanish players and coaching staff to celebrate with confidence in their gold medal.
As the match ended, Spain once again announced the return of their ‘Invincible Armada’ by winning their first Olympic gold medal in 32 years following their victory at the senior Euro 2024.
