An absolutely gripping Olympic men's soccer final saw hosts France complete a two-goal comeback to force extra-time, only to be done in by the heroics of Sergio Camello to give Spain the gold medal at the 2024 games in Paris.
A brace by Fermin Lopez saw Spain 3-1 up at halftime, but the hosts stormed back at Parc des Princes, with Jean-Philippe Mateta's penalty in the 93rd minute enough to pull France level and force another half-hour of play.
Yet it wasn't enough to stop this summer's team of destiny, as Euro 2024 champions Spain secured a second major title in the past two months. Camello scored both goals in extra-time, chipping the goalkeeper to take the lead in the 101st minute before sealing it 20 minutes later.
It was a mistake from Spain goalkeeper Arnau Tenas that saw France open the scoring just 12 minutes in, but he was immense after that early error, making a host of sensational saves before brilliantly assisting their fifth and final goal with a throw that reached nearly to the halfway line.
The result gave Spain, and any European nation for that matter, its first gold medal in Olympic men's soccer since 1992 when Pep Guardiola was in midfield. France coach Thierry Henry, meanwhile, was forced to settle for silver despite the goal scoring prowess of Mateta and Michael Olise which had carried them to the final.
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The Sporting News followed the France vs. Spain match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happened.
France vs. Spain final score
| Score | Goal scorers | |
| France | 3 | Millot (12'), Akliouche (79'), Mateta (90+3') |
| Spain | 5 | F. Lopez (18', 25'), Baena (28'), Camello, (101', 120+1) |
Kickoff: 6 p.m. local (12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT)
Location: Parc des Princes (Paris, France)
Referee: Ramon Abatti (BRZ)
Starting lineups:
France (4-3-1-2, right to left): 16. Restes (GK) — 5. Sildillia (Cherki, 111'), 4. Bade, 2. Lukeba, 3. Truffert (Locko, 91') — 12. Millot (Doue, 78'), 6. Kone (Magassa, 106'), 13. Chotard (Akilouche, 52') — 7. Olise — 10. Lacazette (Kalimuendo-Muinga, 52'), 14. Mateta.
Spain (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Tenas (GK) — 2. Pubill (Juanlu, 73'), 4. E. Garcia, 5. Cubarsi, 3. Miranda (M. Gutierrez, 98') — 6. Barrios, 10. Baena (Turrientes, 83') — 14. Oroz, 11. F. Lopez (Bernabe, 73'), 17. S. Gomez — 9. A. Ruiz (Camello, 83').
France vs. Spain live updates, highlights from Olympic men's final
FULLTIME: France 3-5 Spain
SPAIN WIN THE GOLD MEDAL! They knock off France thanks to an extra-time brace from Sergio Camello! Spain completes this summer's men's soccer double by winning both Euro 2024 and the Olympic gold medal!
120+1 min: GOAL! SPAIN! WHAT SCENES! IT'S A GOALKEEPER THROW ASSIST TO SEAL THE GOLD MEDAL FOR SPAIN!
An absolute cannon from goalkeeper Arnau Tenas launches the ball nearly to the mid line for Sergio Camello. The ball falls perfectly into the bucket, far enough to lead Camello on the run but not too far that it reaches the opposing goalkeeper! Camillo does the rest with yet another chip of Guillerme Restes, and the gold is in hand!
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117th min: Desire Doue takes aim from an extremely tight angle, but can't come close to hitting the target, rifling miles into the stands.
114th min: Chance, Spain! The leaders aren't totally in a shell, and only great emergency defending by the France back line keeps them from finding the goal which seals the gold medal!
111th min: One last change for France as Rayan Cherki comes on for the final 10 minutes hoping to force penalties, replacing Kilian Sildilla.
2nd half extra-time kickoff: Thierry Henry makes another change for the final 15 minutes as Manu Kone is brought off, replaced by Soungoutou Magassa.
HALFTIME OF EXTRA-TIME: France 3-4 Spain
Spain are 15 minutes from an Olympic gold medal, but they were here in regulation too and couldn't hold on. They'll be under fire the whole second half, so there's a long way still to go against a strong attacking opponent.
101st min: GOAL! SPAIN! SERGIO CAMELLO PUTS SPAIN IN LINE FOR THE GOLD MEDAL! It comes off a glorious vertical pass right up the gut by Adrian Bernabe, and Camello chips the charging goalkeeper to take the lead!
Parc des Princes is once again silenced as the hosts need another comeback to pull back level!
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98th min: As far as extra-time goes, this has been a relatively lively start to the added time. Both sides have shown strong attacking intent and the game has gone end-to-end.
Spain will make another change, with the booked Juan Miranda replaced by Miguel Gutierrez, who made La Liga's official team of the season last club campaign with Girona.
93rd min: Spain substitute Jon Pacheco is booked for a hard foul on Michael Olise.
Extra-time kickoff: They're under way for another half-hour of play in Paris, with a gold medal on the line. France make a change as left-back Adrien Truffert is withdrawn and replaced by Bradley Locko.
Spain are now without many of their more experienced players, with both goal scorers Fermin Lopez and Alex Baena withdrawn as they looked to protect their lead. There are three players on the pitch who are looking to navigate extra-time with a yellow card.
END OF REGULATION: France 3-3 Spain
What a comeback for France! Down two goals, they've managed to draw level and force extra-time. We'll have 30 more minutes of this before a potential penalty shootout!
90+5 min: Chance, Spain! WHAT A SAVE BY GUILLAUME RESTES! He gets his fingertips to a Benat Turrientes shot and tips it up off the crossbar! It was the chance to win it in regular time!
89th min: PENALTY, FRANCE! Five minutes of added time are shown, and there's LATE DRAMA AT THE PARC DES PRINCES! France have a late chance to equalize after a VAR review! A corner sails over everyone's heads, but the VAR spots a foul at the far post as Juan Miranda bear-hugs Arnaud Kalimuendo to the ground!
It's extremely soft, as there's definitely contact, but who initiated it is the question, and the corner wasn't reachable as it was blasted over the pack of players. Miranda is booked for the foul he's adjudged to have committed.
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Stepping up is Jean-Philippe Mateta...GOAL! FRANCE! THE COMEBACK IS COMPLETE AND WE'RE LEVEL!
83rd min: Fresh legs are needed for Spain, who are under siege and using as much time-wasting tactics as possible. Alex Baena and Abel Ruiz are withdrawn, as Sergio Camello and Benat Turrientes enter the match looking to protect the one-goal lead.
79th min: GOAL! FRANCE! A STROKE OF FORTUNE FOR FRANCE WHO ARE BACK WITHIN ONE!
A free-kick by Michael Olise from outside the top-right corner of the penalty area strikes the foot of Maghnes Akliouche on its way through and nestles into the inside of the side netting! It looked like Akliouche was simply trying to jump out of the way of the delivery, but he makes the necessary contact to get it by Arnau Tenas!
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78th min: Now a booking for Juan Miranda who bundles over Michael Olise after being skinned by a vertical dribble.
Enzo Millot, who scored France's first goal, is withdrawn in favor of Desire Doue.
76th min: Only on for a few minutes, Adrian Bernabe is booked for dragging back Manu Kone in midfield.
72nd min: Chance, France! Another brilliant save by Arnau Tenas! The Spain goalkeeper is standing on his head!
Manu Kone gets around Alex Baena and fires a shot from the penalty spot, but Tenas makes another sensational save to turn it around the far post! Kone was so sure he would score he almost looked to have started wheeling away in celebration before being denied!
Spain make a pair of changes in the aftermath, as Fermin Lopez and Marc Pubill are brought off, replaced by Adrian Bernabe and Juanlu.
65th min: Jean-Philippe gets to a dangerous side of his defender but makes very poor contact with the ball once arriving from deep. It was a difficult chance as he was moving away from goal towards the pass, and was cut off by the defender, but still should have done better with the effort, which is scuffed into the waiting arms of Arnau Tenas.
60th min: Chance, Spain! Juan Miranda fires a volley high of the goal with lots of space to shoot! It's a chance crafted from full-back to full-back as a cross from Marc Pubill lands at the feet of Miranda at the top-left corner of the penalty area. He decides to take it first-time, and blasts the chance into the Parc des Princes crowd — in fairness, it was an extremely high degree of difficulty getting that volleyed attempt on target without letting the ball hit the ground.
55th min: Chance, France! Manu Kone heads off the crossbar! Kone gets in front of his defender from about six yards out, but the cross from the left by Adrien Truffert is just a whisker behind him, forcing the French midfielder to contort his body backwards to get contact on the ball.
He does well to adjust, but can't quite get it on target, heading off the woodwork and out of play!
52nd min: Oddly, Thierry Henry is readying multiple changes just minutes after the second half kicked off. It's an odd time to make tactical changes, because halftime substitutions don't burn one of their three sub windows, but this would. Odd he had alterations in mind, but waited until now to trigger them.
Maghnes Akilouche enters in midfield for Joris Chotard, while the captain Alexandre Lacazette leaves the pitch and is replaced by Arnaud Kalimuendo-Muinga.
2nd half kickoff: They're back under way to begin the second half with no changes for either side as they get the ball rolling again at Parc des Princes.
HALFTIME: France 1-3 Spain
A scintillating first half that saw hosts France score early while Spain then roared back into a commanding lead. Fermin Lopez, who has been exceptional all tournament, has a pair of goals, while Alex Baena scored a third with a free-kick.
Don't count Thierry Henry and France out just yet, however, as Les Bleus looked dangerous in first-half stoppage time and could be good for a comeback of their own if allowed the time and space on the ball in the second half.
45+6 min: Loic Bade is shown a yellow card for a foul on Juan Miranda, becoming the second French player booked after arriving late and stomping on the foot of the Spain defender.
45+4 min: Chance, France! Finally, Spain can breathe after a long spell of threatening possession as Michael Olise fires a shot agonizingly wide left. The Olympic hosts came so close on two occasions here to close the half!
45+2 min: Chance, France! WHAT A SAVE BY ARNAU TENAS! Early in seven minutes of stoppage time, France have their best attacking move of the match, and the ball is floated across the face of goal from right to left. Eventually, it falls to the head of Jean-Philippe Mateta who delivers a powerful effort on goal, but Tenas makes a sensational stop to tip the ball over the crossbar with his fingertips while leaning backwards!
41st min: Chance, Spain! A strong kick-save by Guillerme Restes to keep out a tight-angle shot by Juan Miranda! The Spain left-back had got around Kilian Sildillia on the left wing and cut inside towards net.
36th min: The first yellow card of the match is shown to Manu Kone for sending Aimar Oroz flying through the air with a late step. France look incredibly defeated, they will need to hang onto this scoreline until halftime where Thierry Henry can lift his team's spirits.
28th min: GOAL! SPAIN! Alex Baena bags a lovely free-kick and Spain are suddenly 3-1 up! France look shell-shocked! He delivers it beautifully over the wall and into the top-left corner, and you can hear a pin drop in Parc des Princes!
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25th min: GOAL! SPAIN! FERMIN LOPEZ HAS ANOTHER! We're not even a half-hour in, and Spain have come from behind to go 2-1 in front!
The chance comes on a cross from the left meets the chest of Abel Ruiz right on the goal mouth. His redirection is very well saved by the reflexes of Guillaume Restes, but he parries it right into the path of a charging Lopez who crashes the ball in from just a yard out, getting there just moments before Restes recovers, charging at a full sprint into the net.
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23rd min: There's a nasty coming-together between Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eric Garcia just outside the top of the penalty area, which leaves both players in pain. The referee stops the match for the injury potential of the play, but no foul was given, which is surprising since Eric Garcia quite clearly blocked Mateta off.
Both players got up and will continue, but it's a big let-off for Spain after a nervy moment which could have potentially been a dangerous free-kick, or worse, a red card for denying a goal scoring opportunity. VAR lets them play on.
21st min: It's truly incredible that this match is 1-1 already, since it's largely been dull. There have only been two shots so far, one by each side, and both have found the back of the net. The two goalkeepers will expect themselves to have done better, as there has been very little attacking impetus aside from the two moves that resulted in goals.
18th min: GOAL! SPAIN! WE'RE RIGHT BACK LEVEL ALMOST IMMEDIATELY! It's Fermin Lopez who gets on the end of his fifth goal this summer, having been played in with a cross while totally unmarked on the penalty spot. He scuffs the shot with his first-time shot, surprised to have so much time, but it still manages to squeak past Guillaume Restes for the equalizer!
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12th min: GOAL! FRANCE! The hosts are in front after an error from the Spain goalkeeper! Enzo Millot puts France 1-0 up with a speculative tight-angle shot that sees Arnau Tenas jump in the wrong direction. Even so, he gets both hands on the ball, but it ends up in the net anyways!
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7th min: While France haven't exactly dominated possession, the game has to this point largely been played in Spain's half of the pitch. France are managing to keep the ball in the attacking half, either on the ball or defending Spain's low-tempo possession.
2nd min: Alexandre Lacazette is spoken to by the referee for his dissent after a challenge down near the end line, as the Brazilian official did not appreciate his reaction.
There's an early concern here for Spain as Fermin Lopez is down in midfield after he collided hard with an opponent and appears to be in great pain, having received a hefty blow to his midsection. He's eventually up and waves away the stretcher, set to continue.
Kickoff: They're under way at Parc des Prince, where either the host nation or the defending Euro champions will win an Olympic gold medal!
France vs. Spain: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more
15 mins to kickoff: With a gold medal on the line, these players will leave it all on the line, and things could get chippy. The man in charge of this match is young, as 34-year-old Brazilian referee Ramon Abatti will man the whistle.
He was controversially in charge during a Brazilian Serie A match earlier this summer between Vasco da Gama and Botafogo in which he failed to even book Hugo Moura of Vasco for a blatant red card-worthy challenge on Tche Tche of Botafogo. Hopefully he can keep better control of this match with so many watching around the world.
30 mins to kickoff: Men's soccer at the Olympics is a youth tournament, but 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi stands out even amongst the largely U-23 group as an incredibly young participant. The Barcelona center-back burst onto the scene after impressing at the club level when thrown into the mix amidst an injury crisis, and he's been exceptional for Spain at the Olympics this summer.
45 mins to kickoff: Moments ago, the women's bronze medal match concluded as goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger secured bronze for Germany with a walk-off penalty save right at the death, denying Alexia Putellas in the eighth minute of stoppage time to seal a 1-0 victory. It was an incredible moment.
Will we have similar drama at the very end of today's gold medal men's match?
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1 hour to kickoff: Lineups are in, and they're just as expected for both sides. There are no surprises whatsoever as both teams deploy their strongest XI.
1 hour 15 mins to kickoff: Fermin Lopez has had an exceptional Olympics for Spain, but he could go back to Barcelona without a spot in the lineup after the arrival of new signing Dani Olmo.
Lopez has four goals and an assist in the Olympics, and while he's out of reach for the Golden Boot with Soufiane Rahimi of Morocco finishing on eight, he could leave himself second in the scoring chart with a goal today in the final. After winning Euro 2024, winning an Olympic gold medal in the same summer would be a gargantuan accomplishment.
1 hour 30 mins to kickoff: One player to watch in this match is France defender Castello Lukeba, a highly-rated center-back who plays for RB Leipzig and has a €40 million valuation on Transfermarkt, the third-highest mark on the Bleus squad. The German club are hoping that number increases significantly over the next calendar year, as Lukeba was brought in a year ago for €30 million from Lyon and RB Leipzig are known for their ability to turn a strong profit on big-money prospects.
An Olympic gold medal should help that considerably.
2 hours to kickoff: While we're on the topic of transfers, Barcelona have made the signing of Dani Olmo official. The Spaniard starred for his country earlier this summer at Euro 2024, and now will be rooting his nation on in the Olympic gold medal match after signing for one of the world's biggest clubs.
2 hours 30 mins to kick: Chelsea have reportedly signed Wolves winger Pedro Neto at €60 million, a wonderful player with a significant injury risk. It's just another reminder that Bayern Munich signing Michael Olise for €53 million is a strong deal.
3 hours to kickoff: France head coach Thierry Henry has been a central figure in the enjoyable vibes this Bleus team has enjoyed. The Arsenal legend showed off his dance moves when he joined in the celebrations after the semifinal victory over Egypt, and the squad comes into this final flying high.
France vs. Spain kickoff time
This gold medal match at the 2024 Summer Olympics kicks off from Parc des Princes on Friday, August 9 at 6 p.m. local time in Paris, France. Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Fri, Aug. 9 | 12 p.m. ET |
| USA/Canada | Fri, Aug. 9 | 9 a.m. PT |
| UK | Fri, Aug. 9 | 5 p.m. BST |
| Australia | Sat, Aug. 10 | 2 a.m. AEST |
| India | Fri, Aug. 9 | 9:30 p.m. IST |
France vs. Spain lineups, team news, starting 11
Thierry Henry called in striker Alexandre Lacazette to carry the goal scoring load, one of just three players to have been capped by the senior squad.
Yet he's been outshined by Crystal Palace duo Michael Olise and Jean-Philippe Mateta. Mateta is the second-leading scorer in the competition with four goals, while Olise, who's on his way to Bayern Munich this summer, leads the team with six contributions.
Enzo Millot will likely return to the starting lineup after missing the semifinal with a red card suspension. Kouadio Kone will also slot back into the midfield after yellow card accumulation kept him sidelined last time out.
France starting lineup (4-3-1-2): Restes (GK) — Sildillia, Bade, Lukeba, Truffert — Millot, Kone, Chotard — Olise — Mateta, Lacazette.
France subs (7): Nkambadio (GK), Locko, Magassa, Doue, Akliouche, Kalimuendo-Muinga, Cherki.
Spain's Olympic men's roster is a masterclass of construction by head coach Santi Denia. Overage exemptions Juan Miranda, Sergio Gomez, and Abel Ruiz have all been critical parts of this squad.
He also brought in Fermin Lopez and Alex Baena who were part of the Euro 2024 squad but didn't play much, and therefore were fresh to perform big at the Olympics. Lopez in particular has been enormous, with four goals and an assist from his No. 10 position.
Spain starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Tenas (GK) — Pubill, E. Garcia, Cubarsi, Miranda — Barrios, Baena — Oroz, F. Lopez, S. Gomez — A. Ruiz.
Spain subs (7): J. Garcia (GK), Pacheco, Juanlu, M. Gutierrez, Bernabe, Turrientes, Camello.
France vs. Spain live stream, TV channel
| TV Channel | Streaming | |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo | Fubo USA, Peacock, NBC Sports app/website, Telemundo Deportes en Vivo |
| UK | BBC | Premier Sports 1 |
| Australia | — | Stan Sport, 9Now |
| Canada | — | CBC Sports app/website |
| India | — | — |
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