France vs Spain, Olympics Final: Final Score 3-5, Fermín López ...
Barcelona stars Eric García, Pau Cubarsí and Fermín López can add an Olympic gold medal to their résumés as Spain have won their second-ever Olympic title in men’s football thanks to a memorable 5-3 win in extra time over hosts France on Friday at the Parc des Princes in Paris. One of the greatest football matches in the history of the Olympics had every twist and turn imaginable, and Fermín scored twice to add his own name to history and claim Olympic gold less than a month after winning Euro 2024, in what has been a dream summer for the young Barça midfielder and the Spanish national team.
FIRST HALF
The opening period was wildly entertaining, with both sides willing to take risks and going all in from the beginning, playing fast, attack-minded football from the get-go. France made the better start, and it was rewarded 10 minutes in when a shot from Enzo Millot that should have resulted in a routine save by Arnau Tenas was badly spilled by the former Barça keeper, and the ball went into the net to put the hosts in front.
Spain responded well by taking better care of the ball and moving it quickly between the lines, stepping up their intensity and pressing higher up the pitch. And that’s how they set up a magical 10-minute sequence that changed the final completely.
It all began with a pass from Pau Cubarsí that started a beautiful passing move, which ended with an assist by Álex Baena and a gorgeous finish from Fermín López, who then doubled his tally and gave Spain the lead by tapping home the rebound after Abel Ruiz’s shot was saved by the keeper.
Three minutes after Fermín’s second goal came a fantastic free-kick goal by Baena, and suddenly La Roja had a 3-1 lead. France were visibly shook by the sudden turn of events and took a while to respond, but still found a way to create real danger towards the end of the half. Jean-Philippe Mateta’s header produced an extraordinary save by Tenas, and Michael Olise almost found the bottom corner but saw his shot go agonizingly wide.
The halftime whistle came to end a breathtaking first half with Spain ahead by two goals and 45 minutes away from gold against a French side desperate for a comeback, which promised a second half for the ages in Paris.
SECOND HALF
The final period was all about France trying to come back and dominating possession, while Spain stayed organized at the back and looked to kill the game off on the counter. La Roja missed a couple of early chances but mostly defended for almost the entire half, and they had to dodge quite a few bullets.
The two biggest chances for Les Bleus came through midfielder Manu Koné, who headed a cross from the left wing into the crossbar and had a sure-fire goal denied by another world-class save from Tenas, and Spain somehow held on to their two-goal lead going into the final 15 minutes.
But the French pressure was too strong and the hosts found a way back in the game, as Olise fired a free-kick into the box and the ball deflected off Juan Miranda and went into the net, setting up a dramatic finish in Paris with 10 minutes plus added time to go.
Spain tried their best to slow down the pace of the game with a few substitutions and by looking to keep the ball for extended periods to avoid conceding more dangerous chances. Sergio Gómez had a huge chance on the counter to kill the game off but fired his shot just wide, and the game was still up for grabs in the dying moments.
Then came a late corner-kick for France in added time, and Beñat Turrientes was called for a foul in the box after a VAR review. Mateta scored the penalty with ease, and France completed their own incredible comeback.
There was still time for a few more twists, and Turrientes almost made up for his mistake with a chance to win the game but hit the crossbar instead, and Olise almost scored an amazing solo goal but was stopped by Tenas.
The final whistle came to temporarily stop an unbelievable Gold Medal Match, and we were headed for extra time in a game that absolutely deserved 30 more minutes.
EXTRA TIME
France carried the momentum from the extraordinary finish of regulation into the extra period, dominating the ball and creating more danger with crosses and set pieces that almost unlocked the Spanish defense for a fourth time.
La Roja looked on the ropes and in desperate need of a moment of magic, and it came 100 minutes into the contest: Adrián Bernabé played a nice through ball to Sergio Camello, who showed remarkable poise to lob the keeper and put Spain back on top with 20 minutes remaining.
France tried everything in the dying moments to try and equalize, and Tenas came up big time and time again. And the goalkeeper had one final trick up his sleeve, with a long kick down the middle releasing Camello, who lobbed the French keeper AGAIN to score his second goal in extra time and silence the Parc des Princes.
The final whistle came shortly after to end one of the greatest football matches in the history of the Olympic Games, and La Roja have now added a Gold Medal to their Euro 2024 victory. What a summer for Spain, what a football match, and what a player Fermín López is.
France: Restes; Sildillia (Cherki 111’), Badé, Lukeba, Truffert (Locko 91’); Millot (Doué 78’), Koné (Magassa 106’), Chotard (Akliouche 52’); Olise; Lacazette (Kalimuendo 52’), Mateta
Goals: Millot (11’), Olise (79’), Mateta (90+3’ pen)
Spain: Tenas; Pubill (Juanlu 73’), Eric, Cubarsí, Miranda (Miguel 97’); Barrios, Baena (Turrientes 83’); Oroz (Pacheco 88’), Fermín (Bernabé 73’), Gómez; Ruiz (Camello 83’)
Goals: Fermín (18’, 25’), Baena (28’), Camello (100’, 120+1’)
