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France, Spain to meet in Olympics men's soccer final after thrilling semifinal comebacks
By Safid Deen, USA TODAY,
15 hours ago
Host nation France and Spain will meet in the men’s soccer final at the 2024 Paris Olympics .
France’s Jean-Philippe Mateta scored two goals, including one in extra time, while Michael Olise added another extra-time goal in the 108th minute to beat Egypt 3-1 on Monday night.
Spain advanced after Fermín López (66’) and Juanlu Sanchez (85') started a second-half comeback in a 2-1 win against Morocco.
France and Spain will play for the gold medal Friday, both seeking their second Olympic gold, in an all-Euro final.
Spain will make its second straight appearance in the gold medal game, after losing to Brazil and earning silver at the Tokyo Olympics. Spain previously won gold at Barcelona in 1992.
France has reached the men’s soccer final for the third time, seeking its second gold after winning at Los Angeles in 1984, and finishing with silver at Paris in 1900.
Morocco and Egypt will meet Thursday for the bronze medal in a match between African teams, each vying for their first Olympic medal in the sport.
Jean-Philippe Mateta of France celebrates with teammates after the semifinal win over Egypt. Nir Elias, Reuters
France responded from the brink of elimination and weight of being Olympic hosts behind two goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta (83’ and 99’), and a goal by Michael Olise (108’) to beat Egypt 3-1 on Monday night.
France will face Spain on Friday in the men’s soccer final with a gold medal on the line.
France has taken the lead in extra time. Jean-Philippe Mateta has scored again in the 99th minute, earning a brace and helping France take a 2-1 lead against 10-man Egypt.
Egypt will have to finish this match without defender Omar Fayed, whose hard foul as extra time got underway resulted in a second yellow card and an ejection. Fayed was shown a red card, and Egypt will finish with just 10 men on the pitch.
Fayed’s first yellow card came during stoppage time, and he quickly walked toward the locker rooms after committing his foul.
France has broken through as Jean-Philippe Mateta scored in the 83rd minute to tie at 1 against Egypt.
It was France's 18th shot of the match, which could see extra time and/or penalties if the score holds after regulation.
France missing its chances vs. Egypt
France is knocking at the door, but coming up short. Alexandre Lacazette hit the post, while Loïc Badé hit the bar on this sequence in the 75th minute.
France and Egypt have opened with several attempts on goal, but both are scoreless at the end of the first half of their Paris Olympics men's soccer semifinal.
Juanlu Sanchez scored in the 85th minute, the late goal Spain needed to reach the men’s soccer final at the Paris Olympics in a 2-1 win against Morocco.
Spain will make its second straight appearance in the gold medal game, and hopes to win gold after a silver finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
Fermín López scored in the 66th minute to fuel Spain's comeback after Morocco's Soufiane Rahimi converted a penalty in the 36th minute for the early lead.
An electric run by Morocco, which beat the United States 4-0 and outscored opponents 11-2 before Monday’s semifinal, comes to an end.
The new referee made a crucial penalty call after VAR, and it paid off in Morocco's favor: Soufiane Rahimi scored in the 36th minute to give Morocco a 1-0 lead over Spain.
Penalty by Spain
Spain's Pablo Barrios was penalized for this kick on Morocco's Amir Richardson, leading to a penalty kick after VAR review by the new referee in this match.
There's already a substitution in the Spain-Morocco match, and it's the head official, who collided with a player from Spain and needed to be subbed off.
Here are the lineups for both teams for today's semifinal:
How did Spain reach the Paris Olympics men’s soccer semifinal?
Spain beat Japan 3-0 in the quarterfinals, and finished second in Group C after a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan, a 3-1 win over the Dominican Republic and a 2-1 loss to Egypt.
Benat Turrientes of Spain in action during a quarterfinal match against Japan. Claudio Villa, Getty Images
How did Morocco reach the Paris Olympics men’s soccer semifinal?
How did France reach the Paris Olympics men’s soccer semifinal?
France beat Argentina 1-0 in the quarterfinals, and won Group A with a 3-0 win over the United States, 1-0 win vs. Guinea and 3-0 win against New Zealand.
How did Egypt reach the Paris Olympics men’s soccer semifinal?
Egypt advanced past Paraguay 1-1 (5-4 in penalties) in the quarterfinals, and won Group C after a scoreless draw against the Dominican Republic, 1-0 win vs. Uzbekistan and a 2-1 win against Spain.
The United States Olympic men's soccer team was ousted after a 4-0 loss to Morocco in the quarterfinals. It was USA Soccer's first Olympics appearance since 2008, and the first time they reached the knockout stage since 2000.
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