PARIS (AP) — The men’s soccer tournament came to a dramatic end at the Paris Olympics.
Just not the end the host nation wanted.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, who had helped fuel France’s comeback after falling in a 3-1 hole in the first half against Spain, limped off the field at the final whistle. His teammates were just as weary, lying on the field while Spain’s players wildly celebrated their 5-3 victory after extra time.
“It’s cruel but that’s football,” France midfielder Desire Doue told television station France 2. “We gave a lot throughout the competition, and again tonight. We came back and took it to extra time. We gave it our all. Unfortunately we didn’t take some of our chances, we lacked a bit of efficiency.”
Mateta had converted a penalty kick in stoppage time, pulling even with Spain 3-3 and sending the final into extra time. But ultimately, Spain prevailed with two goals from Sergio Camello.
“As you could see, we fought until the very end,” France coach Thierry Henry said. “It was a crazy final, at the end we got a medal.”
Henry was one of the most decorated players of his generation. He won the World Cup as a player in 1998 on home soil, then was part of the squad that was runners-up in 2006. He also won a European Championship with the French in 2000.
Going into the match, Henry was credited with creating chemistry on a team without superstar Kylian Mbappe, who wasn’t released by new club Real Madrid.
Despite the loss, Henry and the France squad applauded the fans in the stands. They won a medal, after all, just not the color they had hoped for.
“It’s difficult in the moment to take it all in but it was still a beautiful story,” he said.
