Hosts France are set for a heavyweight clash against Spain in the Olympics men’s soccer semifinals at the Parc des Princes on August 9.
Thierry Henry’s team overcame a 10-man Egypt, beating them 3-1 after extra time in the semifinals to secure a place in the grand finale. Jean-Philippe Mateta powered the home team to victory with a brace.
On Friday, France will contest in their third Olympics final and their first since in 40 years. At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, they had defeated Brazil to win their only gold medal in the men’s soccer competition at the Summer Games.
Meanwhile, Spain scored a dramatic 2-1 win over Morocco on Monday to progress into the final. Having already captured the Euro 2024 title last month, Spain is hoping to add an Olympic gold to their summer collection. While Spain won the silver medal at the deferred 2020 Tokyo Games, their last Olympic gold came at the home games at 1992 Barcelona.
Spain have an edge in their head-to-head-record: of the 37 matches between the two teams, Spain have won 17, France 14 while seven matches have ended in a draw.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times and the latest lineup news.
