PARIS — Spain continued its long-running domination of worldwide soccer in unimaginable vogue on Friday, claiming the boys’s Olympic gold medal with a frantic, frenzied 5-3 extra-time victory over France in a match that included nearly every thing.
There was an early deficit, a spirited reversal, a blown two-goal lead, a dramatic VAR stoppage-time French penalty and, finally, Spanish superiority when it mattered most to go away French coach Thierry Henry, in addition to a packed and passionate dwelling crowd on the Parc des Princes, completely crushed.
“I am very pleased as a result of our gamers sacrificed quite a bit to be right here,” Spain coach Santi Denia stated, “and so they need to win the gold medal.”
Henry, the French legend, stated, “Clearly this wasn’t the end result we wished, however we received a medal.”
He added: “It wasn’t simple to construct this crew up, however I am pleased with the work we did.”
The match was a watch-it-again-right-now basic, the highest-scoring males’s closing in Olympic historical past. Substitute Sergio Camello finally determined it, operating onto a good looking go from Adrián Bernabé within the one centesimal minute and delivering a feathery chip over the on-rushing goalkeeper to set off wild celebrations from the Spanish gamers as Henry turned on his heel within the technical space and the French gamers merely stared.
Their shock was comprehensible, because it actually appeared that they could pull off a magical comeback to assert gold of their nation’s capital. As an alternative, it was Spain — once more — who stood atop the medal stand. Fermín López scored twice with Álex Baena additionally changing a dipping free kick, and Camello added a second, with France pushed all the best way ahead, simply earlier than full time to finish it.
“We’re the happiest kids on the planet,” Camello informed reporters afterward.
The Olympic gold, which is Spain’s first because the dwelling 1992 Summer season Video games in Barcelona, comes on the heels of Spanish trophies on the males’s Euros earlier this summer time in addition to the Girls’s World Cup a yr in the past.
Add in titles at each the boys’s and ladies’s U19 European championships final month — to not point out Spanish membership groups successful the boys’s and ladies’s Champions League trophies this season — and the soccer universe may be very clearly dwelling by a near-total Spanish siege.
“I feel there isn’t any secret,” Denia stated. “You need to choose the precise gamers. You must turn out to be a household. You need to go away your egos behind and everybody must work collectively.”
Regardless of the recipe, it is working for Spain although the French had designs on breaking the pattern. After being booed off the sector at halftime trailing 3-1, France had hammered the Spanish purpose again and again with out reward earlier than lastly getting a breakthrough with 11 minutes to play in regular time.
Michael Olise fired a free kick from the flank towards purpose that took a deflection off Maghnes Akliouche and nestled into the underside nook to chop the margin to only one.
Then, off an 89th-minute nook kick, Juan Miranda dragged down Arnaud Kalimuendo on the again put up. The ball had soared nicely past them and the referee initially waved away the French protests, however as soon as the VAR steered an on-field overview, the French followers leapt to their toes in anticipation.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, carrying the captain’s armband after Alexandre Lacazette was substituted earlier than the hour as France seemed for brand new power, calmly drilled the penalty, and France had earned half-hour extra.
After all, even reaching that time was an ordeal. After falling behind when Arnau Tenas woefully misplayed Enzo Millot‘s shot within the twelfth minute, Spain flipped the sport utterly round in the midst of the primary half. Within the area of simply 10 minutes, López, the Barcelona wunderkind, scored twice whereas Baena dipped a fabulous free kick over the wall to shock the French followers, who included France’s senior nationwide crew coach Didier Deschamps in addition to former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
Deschamps might be seen dropping his head into his palms as France was minimize open, however the French labored their means again into the sport, surging in first-half stoppage time earlier than persevering with the press all through the second half.
As soon as they reached further time with the momentum absolutely of their favor, it felt as if completion of their battle again was inevitable. However then, in a flash, it occurred: Bernabé dropped his shoulder. Camello ran by. And the Spanish danced collectively as soon as extra.
“It’s an incredible dream come true,” ahead Abel Ruiz stated. “Profitable gold right here is one thing meaning quite a bit to all of us. During the last weeks, we have been preventing and dealing to attain our dream so we’re very, very proud.”
