Spain are champions AGAIN! Sergio Camello nets twice in extra-time to clinch Olympic gold for his nation simply weeks after their Euro 2024 triumph… as Thierry Henry’s France fall brief in 5-3 thriller

Beforehand, they held aloft a colossal banner of the gold medal above an indication exhorting Thierry Henry’s gamers to ‘decrochez la medaille’ – ‘get the medal’ – and although we now have heard the anthem from each nook of this Olympics, La Marseillaise had by no means sounded fairly prefer it did right here.

There had been a sense that gold was written within the firmament for France. The ultimate was performed out on the identical turf the place Michel Platini’s group received the European Championship – 2-0 in opposition to Spain – 40 years in the past.

After which the Spanish turned up. The dominance of a nation who’re present girls’s World Cup holders and males’s European champions spans all ages. 

France additionally performed them within the last of the beneath 19s European Championships in Belfast, simply 12 days in the past. Spain received 2-0. This Olympic crown makes it three titles within the house of a month, with nearly fully totally different squads for every.

France’s extraordinary comeback, having trailed 3-1 at half-time, means the nation has its heroes in the present day. Jean-Philippe Mateta, the Crystal Palace ahead, who calmly transformed a 93rd minute penalty to ship the sport into extra-time. 

The ahead silenced the house crowd at Parc des Princes with two extra-time targets

The dramatic victory secured La Roja’s first-ever males’s Olympic gold medal in soccer

Need Doue, one in all Henry’s substitutes, dominant on the left throughout France’s wonderful second half. Henry himself – the motivator and game-changer.

However Spain’s fourth purpose – Sergio Camello taking the gorgeous ball Sergio Gomez had clipped in his path and navigating it over the goalkeeper – instructed the story of this nation of so many soccer skills.

Within the aftermath, there was agony over Actual Madrid’s refusal to launch Kylian Mbappe to Henry’s Olympic group, while Spanish regulation requires the nation’s golf equipment to launch their gamers for the nation’s personal nationwide sides.

Spain solely wanted a few the perimeter Euros gamers to stake their early declare on a primary Olympic gold for the reason that Barcelona Olympics of 1992. 

Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez was on the next intuitive stage when he took a ball from the left channel to equalise out France’s early purpose. He pounced when French goalkeeper Guillaume Restes spilled a ball to him for a second.

Initially, Spain’s defence was additionally resolute when Henry’s gamers, who had additionally conceded to a free-kick from Villarreal’s Alex Baena earlier than half-time, tried to search out manner again. The 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi was excellent. Eric Garcia, his 23-year-old Barcelona central defensive associate limped away after an excellent block. 

After an excruciating early mistake, permitting Enzo Millo’s left foot shot to slide via his palms for France’s opener, Spanish goalkeeper Arnau Tensa made a number of wonderful saves.

France took an early lead in Paris earlier than Fermin Lopez equalised for La Roja after 18 minutes

The Barcelona starlet added a second minutes later to mark his sixth purpose of the match

Alex Baena regarded to have put the outcome past doubt by doubling Spain’s lead on 28 minutes

Thierry Henry’s aspect struggled to pay money for the sport all through a lot of the first-half

However the French had been supplied a lifeline when Maghnes Akliouche managed to get a contact on a Michael Olise free-kick

Jean-Philippe Mateta compelled the sport into extra-time by cooling netting a stoppage-time penalty

However the spirit which had led Henry to trigger his tightly-knit group ‘the crazies’ was manifest. Arnau Kalimuendo had headed in opposition to the bar earlier than Michael Olise’s free-kick was deflected in off Juan Miranda. 

Mateta’s penalty adopted a tussle simply outdoors the six-yard field wherein Miranda had each arms wrapped round Kalimuendo. VAR dominated for the French nation.

But nonetheless the Spanish stored coming. Camello’s struck a fifth – the final piece of Spanish majesty of a wide ranging night time.