Spain claimed their second gold medal in the men’s football at the Olympics courtesy of a 5-3 success over hosts France in the final of the competition on Friday evening.
Thierry Henry’s side took an 11th-minute lead through Enzo Millot, but Spain responded with three goals in the first half, including a brace from Fermin Lopez, to turn the match around.
Fermin’s first came in the 18th minute, before he added a second in the 25th, and Alex Baena then got in on the act in the 28th minute when he found the back of the net with a clever free kick.
France scored a second in the 78th minute through Maghnes Akliouche, who got a touch on a Michael Olise free kick, and Henry’s team were then awarded a penalty in the final moments, with Benat Turrientes pulling Arnaud Kalimuendo to the ground. The referee initially said no, but he gave the decision following a VAR check, and Jean-Philippe Mateta stepped forward to level the scores at 3-3 in dramatic circumstances.
Spain scored a fourth in the 100th minute, though, with Sergio Camello expertly lifting the ball past France goalkeeper Guillaume Restes after collecting a pass from Adrian Bernabe, and the same player then added another in the final moments following a quick break.
Spain have followed up on their gold medal in the men’s football at the 1992 Olympics, and Santi Denia’s side were deserved winners at the Paris 2024 Olympics despite being given a late scare.
France were looking for their first gold medal since 1984, but a silver still represents a strong showing for the host nation despite falling just short of the main prize in front of a vocal home support.
The breakthrough came in the 11th minute of the contest, with Millot finding the back of the net courtesy of a huge mistake from Spain goalkeeper Arnau Tenas.
It looked to be a relatively comfortable save for Tenas, with Millot’s strike from just inside the box lacking power, but it somehow ended up in the corner, with the Spain stopper palming it into his own goal.
However, Tenas managed to make amends late in the first period, producing a stunning save to keep out a header from Mateta, before Olise just missed the target shortly before the whistle.
Tenas, who joined Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona last year, made another big stop late on to deny Kouadio Kone, but France scored twice in the latter stages to force extra-time.
