Spain won the gold medal in men’s football for the second time in its history / Photo: COE
The Spanish national football team was crowned Olympic champion on Friday, August 9, after beating host France in a dramatic match that was decided in extra time and ended with a score of 5-3.
A double from Sergio Camello in extra time buried the French team’s hopes of winning the gold medal at home at the Parc des Princes.
Both teams arrived at Paris 2024 with the mission of winning the second gold medal in their history in men’s football. And after a tough challenge in which they received the equaliser in the 90+3 minute, the Spanish team finally came out on top.
Goal scoring flurry
The match saw a flurry of goals in the first half hour. The French, led by the historic former player Thierry Henry, took the lead in the 11th minute with a goal from Enzo Millot.
The joy for “les bleus” was short-lived, as Fermín López turned the game around with a brace. The FC Barcelona youngster scored in the 18th and 25th minutes, while Alex Baena made it 3-1 in the 28th.
From then on, the Spanish U23 team seemed to have control of the match. However, in the 79th minute, French players scored a goal through Maghnes Akliouche and in the final minutes they were awarded a penalty, which Jean Philippe Mateta effectively converted in the 90+3rd minute, forcing extra time.
With the additional half hour underway, Sergio Camello scored the 4-3 at 100′ and the final 5-3 at 120+1′ to secure Spain’s second Olympic gold.
Barcelona / Javier A. Guaipo
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2024-08-12 18:52:15
