France and Argentina players engage in 30-man brawl after hosts win Olympic quarter-final
France beat Argentina to secured their place in the Olympic men's football semi-finals
France secured their place in the Olympic men’s football semi-finals with a 1-0 victory over Argentina in a quarter-final marked by contentious scenes at the final whistle.
The match ended in discord as players and coaches from both teams clashed on the pitch, underscoring the heated atmosphere.
Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the decisive goal for France, heading in a corner from Michael Olise in the fifth minute.
Argentina’s best opportunity came just before halftime when Giuliano Simeone headed over from close range.
France also had a late goal disallowed after the video assistant referee (VAR) ruled that Maghnes Akliouche had committed a foul before Olise’s deflected effort found the net.
Recent tensions between the two teams have heightened the rivalry.
Following their Copa America victory on July 14, Argentine players were filmed singing a derogatory song about France’s Black players.
The French fans responded by booing the Argentine national anthem before the match at Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux.
France, who last won Olympic gold in men’s football in 1984, will face Egypt in Monday’s semi-final after the Pharaohs defeated Paraguay 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.
Argentina, who overcame France on penalties at the 2022 World Cup, were hoping to become the first nation to hold both the World Cup and Olympic titles simultaneously since Italy in 1936.
The result capped off a successful day for French sport, with gold medals in judo, swimming, and cycling BMX earlier on Friday.
In other action, Fermin Lopez scored twice as Spain defeated Japan 3-0 in Lyon to advance to the Olympic men’s football semi-finals.
The Barcelona midfielder, part of Spain’s Euro 2024-winning squad, opened the scoring with a left-footed drive and added a second with a dipping right-foot shot from 20 yards after the break.
Mao Hosoya’s late first-half effort for Japan was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Abel Ruiz’s late tap-in secured the victory for Spain, who will face Morocco in Marseille on Monday.
Morocco reached the semi-finals for the first time with a 4-0 thrashing of the United States at Parc des Princes.
Soufiane Rahimi opened the scoring with a penalty just before the half-hour mark.
Ilias Akhomach doubled the lead with a close-range finish, and captain Achraf Hakimi extended the advantage with a left-footed strike following a fine run.
Substitute Mehdi Maouhoub completed the scoring with another penalty in stoppage time after a VAR review for a handball.
“I felt like I was playing at home in this stadium where I play for my club, but also because our fans were very loud and were here in big numbers,” said Hakimi, who plays in France for Paris St-Germain.
“Fans have been following us all tournament, I hope they can follow us all the way to the final. We want to make them proud.”
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