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Final push not enough to give France Olympic football gold on home soil

Final push not enough to give France Olympic football gold on home soil

PARIS (AP) — The men’s soccer tournament at the Paris Olympics has ended in dramatic fashion.

But this was not the ending the host country wanted.

Jean-Philippe Mateta, who had led France’s comeback from 3-1 down to Spain at half-time, walked off the pitch exhausted at the final whistle. His teammates were equally exhausted, lying on the pitch as Spain’s players celebrated wildly after their 5-3 win in extra time.

Despite the match ending, fans at the Parc des Princes serenaded the team with the French national anthem “La Marseillaise”.

“It’s cruel but that’s football,” France midfielder Desire Doue told television channel France 2. “We gave a lot throughout the competition and we did the same tonight. We came back and went into extra time. We did the best we could. Unfortunately we didn’t take advantage of some of our chances, we lacked a bit of efficiency.”

After Enzo Millot scored an early goal for France, Spain quickly responded with three more goals as the home team entered the break trailing 3-1.

Mateta scored a penalty in injury time to draw 3–3 with Spain, sending the final into extra time, but Spain eventually won with two goals from Sergio Camello.

“It’s part of football,” said captain Alexandre Lacazette. “Sometimes you come back, you respond, but sometimes it’s just a matter of little things.”

Coach Thierry Henry said afterwards that he was proud of his players and recalled that winning a medal at the Olympics was “an extraordinary achievement”.

“I told them, ‘You won. You earned the respect of a lifetime. You never gave up, in practice, no matter what, you always stayed. You always fought,'” Henry said. “We know this group of players will never meet again. That’s impossible. We know that, but this group of guys will stay together forever in my eyes.”

Henry was one of the most decorated players of his generation. He won the World Cup for his home country in 1998, then was part of the squad that finished second in 2006. He also won a European Championship with the French in 2000.

Heading into the match, Henry was credited with creating chemistry in a team without Real Madrid’s unreleased superstar Kylian Mbappe.

The team remained undefeated until the very end of the Olympics, finished first in its group, and managed to advance to the finals by defeating Argentina and Egypt in the elimination round.

Despite the loss, Henry and the French team were applauded by the fans in the stands. They did win a medal, but it wasn’t the colour they were hoping for.

“It’s hard to grasp everything right now, but it was still a beautiful story,” he said.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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