Spain continued their extraordinary run of success on the international football stage by beating hosts France 5-3 to claim the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Gamesat the Parc des Princes in the final of the competition.
Spain won their second Olympic gold medal after Barcelona 1992, after a dramatic match that saw the highest number of goals in a final since 1912.
This summer has cemented Spanish football’s dominance, with them now holders of the Men’s European Championship, the Women’s World Cup, the Men’s Nations League, the Women’s Nations League, the Men’s U19 European Championship, the Women’s U19 European Championship and the Men’s Olympic Games.
France showed their ability to fight back against adversity in the semi-finals, beating Egypt after the shock of conceding the first goal, and did so again on Friday night against Spain, despite being frustrated several times by Spain goalkeeper Arnau Tenas, who plays in Paris for Saint-Germain.
Spain imposes its style on France in the Olympic final
The gold medal match got off to a thrilling start with four goals in the first 28 minutes. Enzo Melo’s shot somehow found its way past Arnau Tenas, but Fermin Lopez scored twice in seven minutes – his fifth and sixth goals of the tournament – to turn the game on its head, before Alex Baena added a third with a brilliant free kick.
It was a performance France They were better in the second half and forced Tenas into three fine saves. They finally found their way in when Magnes Aklioshi turned in Michael Olise’s free-kick in the 78th minute, setting the atmosphere at the Parc des Princes on fire.
The hosts completed the most remarkable comeback when Benat Torrents brought down Arnau Kalimuendo inside the penalty area in the 89th minute. Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta looked at his best when he converted the penalty to send the final into extra time.
France had the momentum, so it came as a shock to those inside the stadium when Rayo Vallecano’s Sergio Camilo scored Spain’s fourth in the first half of extra time with a stunning strike. This time, France couldn’t find a way back into the game – Camilo instead scored a fifth in the 121st minute to snatch the precious metal for Spain.
Starring: Fermin Lopez
Fermin Lopez was Spain’s mastermind throughout the tournament, and he was there when Spain needed him in the gold medal match, and apart from the two goals he showed a great ability to lead Spain with his movements that served his teammates in the front line.
| The player | Goals without penalties | Shots on goal | Expected goals |
| Fermin Lopez | 6 | 9 | 2.22 |
| Sofiane Rahimi | 4 | 11 | 5.96 |
| Jean Philippe Mateta | 4 | 13 | 4.25 |
The 21-year-old showed great movement for both goals, slipping into the box unnoticed to make it 1-1 and then racing back to put Spain ahead. This tournament was a birthplace for the young midfielder, who has a very bright future ahead of him.
If we remove Flopez’s penalty goals, he would be the top scorer with 6 goals, all of which came from open play, and he scored them despite the fact that he was expected to score only 2.22 goals, and his goals came from only 9 shots on goal.
Thierry Henry’s mismanagement
Spain exploited France’s lack of rhythm time and again in the first half and it was clear that something needed to change after Baena scored Spain’s third, but Thierry Henry made no changes to his team during the first half and France continued to struggle for possession, with Spain, led by Santi Denia, able to impose their dominance.
Spain scored all 5 goals despite having the lowest expected goals against France (2.43 expected goals for Spain, compared to 3.21 expected goals for France).
Given the way his team dominated the second half, Henry will be left to rue his approach to this game. He arguably went too far in frightening Spain in the first 45 minutes and should have made the most of the momentum and crowd after they made it 3-3.
