Spain has clinched the gold medal in the men’s Olympic football event, securing a historic victory and showcasing their dominance in the tournament.
Spain has won the men’s football Olympic gold for the second time, previously achieving victory in Barcelona back in 1992 with a team that included notable figures such as Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique. Before this recent win, they had secured silver medals at Tokyo three years ago.
In a stunning men’s Olympic football final on Friday, Spain claimed gold by beating France 5-3 with the help of substitute Sergio Camello who scored two goals in extra time. The hosts, led by Thierry Henry, had already made an impressive comeback earlier in the game.
At the Parc des Princes in Paris, Spain appeared to be on their way to a commanding triumph after bouncing back from an early setback and clinching a 3-1 advantage by halftime.
France took the lead thanks to Enzo Millot, but a Fermin Lopez double and an Alex Baena set piece completely changed the outcome of the final.
Nevertheless, France made a beautiful comeback as Maghnes Akliouche scored a goal and Jean-Philippe Mateta secured the win by converting a stoppage-time penalty that was granted after being reviewed with VAR.
In an enthralling game, the final was prolonged into extra time. It was during this period that Camello, a forward for Rayo Vallecano, became Spain’s hero by scoring and restoring their lead in the 100th minute of play. He then clinched victory at the very end with his amazing performance on the field.
After capturing the silver medal in Tokyo three years back, Spain has now clinched Olympic men’s football gold for a second time. Their earlier triumph was at Barcelona in 1992 with Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique being part of their winning squad.
France had aspired to secure their second gold medal in 40 years, following their victory in Los Angeles. Nevertheless, they must now be content with securing silver instead.
Spain’s men have had a magnificent season on the field with their win at the Euros in Germany and now, with this latest triumph, it has been an illustrious summer. Furthermore, they managed to defeat France in securing victory for under-19 Euro tournament as well.
Despite losing on penalties after a stunning comeback effort, Henry’s team can still feel proud as the match resembled the 2022 World Cup final where France suffered a similar defeat against Argentina.
The ultimate spectacle commenced when France took the lead in a mere 11 minutes, courtesy of Millot. He gathered a botched clearance by Baena from outside the penalty area on the right-hand side and unleashed an instant shot that perplexed Spanish goalkeeper Arnau Tenas.
Spain managed to overcome a deficit and emerged victorious over Morocco in the semi-finals, with Lopez leveling the scoreline here at the 18th minute mark.
In a sequence that involved 26 passes, Baena eventually sent the ball towards the center where Lopez was able to score.
On the 25th minute mark, Spain took an early lead due to a missed clearance by the French defence of Juan Miranda’s cross. Lopez seized on Guillaume Restes’ save from Abel Ruiz’s initial shot and netted in the rebound.
Barcelona midfielder Lopez has been phenomenal throughout the tournament, achieving his sixth goal at the Olympics.
As soon as the game resumed, Spain was awarded a free-kick outside the area due to Miranda’s foul. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Baena from Villarreal kicked the ball over the wall and scored.
In order to catch up, France had to work hard. However, Mateta’s attempt was thwarted by a remarkable save from Tenas just before the first half ended and Manu Kone hit the crossbar with his header shortly before the 60th minute mark.
Once again, Tenas from Paris Saint-Germain stood out as he skillfully deflected a Kone shot past the post. It wasn’t until 79 minutes later that France managed to secure their second goal.
From the right, Michael Olise served a free-kick and Akliouche’s deft touch propelled the ball past the goalkeeper.
The stage was set for a last-minute penalty drama that seemed inevitable as Benat Turrientes brought Arnaud Kalimuendo down to the ground, but initially received no ruling from the referee.
After a VAR review, his opinion altered and Mateta scored the penalty kick to level up the score in the 93rd minute.
Turrientes had enough time to hit the bar before entering extra time, during which Spain regained the lead and secured it for good.
Camello was released by Adrian Bernabe, and he defeated Restes with a precise finish to take the scoreline up to 4-3. Eventually, he went on to run past defenders effortlessly and scored his team’s fifth goal.
