Barcelona stars Eric García, Pau Cubarsí and Fermín López can add an Olympic gold medal to their résumés as Spain have won their second-ever Olympic title in men’s football thanks to a memorable 5-3 win in extra time over hosts France on Friday at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
One of the greatest football matches in the history of the Olympics had every twist and turn imaginable, and Fermín scored twice to add his own name to history and claim Olympic gold less than a month after winning Euro 2024, in what has been a dream summer for the young Barça midfielder and the Spanish national team.
FIRST HALF
The opening period was wildly entertaining, with both sides willing to take risks and going all in from the beginning, playing fast, attack-minded football from the get-go. France made the better start, and it was rewarded 10 minutes in when a shot from Enzo Millot that should have resulted in a routine save by Arnau Tenas was badly spilled by the former Barça keeper, and the ball went into the net to put the hosts in front.
Spain responded well by taking better care of the ball and moving it quickly between the lines, stepping up their intensity and pressing higher up the pitch. And that’s how they set up a magical 10-minute sequence that changed the final completely.
It all began with a pass from Pau Cubarsí that started a beautiful passing move, which ended with an assist by Álex Baena and a gorgeous finish from Fermín López, who then doubled his tally and gave Spain the lead by tapping home the rebound after Abel Ruiz’s shot was saved by the keeper.
Three minutes after Fermín’s second goal came a fantastic free-kick goal by Baena, and suddenly La Roja had a 3-1 lead. France were visibly shook by the sudden turn of events and took a while to respond, but still found a way to create real danger towards the end of the half. Jean-Philippe Mateta’s header produced an extraordinary save by Tenas, and Michael Olise almost found the bottom corner but saw his shot go agonizingly wide.
The halftime whistle came to end a breathtaking first half with Spain ahead by two goals and 45 minutes away from gold against a French side desperate for a comeback, which promised a second half for the ages in Paris.
SECOND HALF
The final period was all about France trying to come back and dominating possession, while Spain stayed organized at the back and looked to kill the game off on the counter. La Roja missed a couple of early chances but mostly defended for almost the entire half, and they had to dodge quite a few bullets.
