Jean-Philippe Mateta of Crystal Palace scored twice in France 3-1 extra-time win against Egypt, advancing to the Olympic men’s football final against Spain, which had already defeated Morocco.
Egypt Takes the Lead
Egypt took the lead thanks to a goal by Mahmoud Saber in the 62nd minute. The French were more frustrated as they missed three opportunities to equalize in the 83rd minute, forcing extra time.
France Comeback
After Omar Fayed’s second bookable offense, Mateta took advantage to put France ahead before Michael Olise scored a third goal in the 108th minute, leaving Egypt down to 10 men.
Historical Context and Implications
Although this will be the first time a European team has won gold in the men’s event since Spain’s victory in Barcelona in 1992, it also puts an end to Latin American countries’ dominance, since Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico had won two of the previous five tournaments.
In addition, it offers Thierry Henry, the Olympic coach for France, the opportunity to further enhance his remarkable career, since he won both the World Cup and the European Championship while playing for France. This would be his first significant honor in his coaching career, which is still in its early stages.
France Olympic Football History
France won silver in the 1900 Games held in Paris and gold in the men’s competition in Los Angeles in 1984.
Spain Path to the Final
Coming off the bench, Juanlu Sánchez led Spain to an Olympic record-tying sixth men’s final. His goal in Marseille’s 85th minute gave them a 2-1 victory against their Moroccan opponents.
Sánchez remarked, “I’m really happy when you realized that you scored the goal that puts your team in the final.” The moment went by so quickly that he was unaware of it.
Morocco Early Lead and Spain Response
Soufiane Rahimi, the tournament’s top scorer, struck a penalty kick in the 37th minute to give Morocco a 1-0 lead at the break. In the 65th minute, Fermín López scored a left-footed goal low into the bottom corner to tie the score for Spain. Then, the Barcelona midfielder set up Sánchez for the winning goal by sweeping it into the net with an assist.
According to Lopez, “I think my goal changed the match a little bit, and I think it was a great match for the whole team and we deserved it.” “And now here we are.”
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