Spain and France will play the final of the Olympic football tournament on Friday evening. The Iberians have an incredible series behind them.
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- The Olympic football tournament has a top duel in the final.
- Hosts France will face Spain on Friday at 6pm at the Parc des Princes. The two top teams both beat their North African opponents in the semi-finals.
- The Furia Roja will be looking to continue their incredible run in finals matches.
On Friday, France and Spain will be aiming for their second Olympic gold in football. The French won in Los Angeles in 1984, the Iberians at the 1992 home games in Barcelona.
The two top teams almost fought a duel for bronze. Both France (against Egypt) and Spain (against Morocco) were trailing in the semi-finals against the teams from North Africa before the favorites were able to prevail.
For the French, the duo of Jean-Philippe Mateta and Michael Olise, who until recently played together at Crystal Palace, excelled. Mateta secured the hosts' place in the final with his brace, while Bayern newcomer Olise provided two assists. Mateta leads the team's internal tournament standings with four goals, while Olise has four assists to his name.
A trio of Barça players are holding things together for the Spaniards. Eric García and Pau Cubarsí form the defensive unit. Fermín López makes the difference in attack. The 21-year-old, who benefited from the bad luck of some of his rivals in the past season due to injury and thus got plenty of playing time, has already scored four goals and provided two assists.
Will the streak continue against France coach Henry?
The Furia Roja also have the winning gene in them. For over 20 years, the Spaniards have won everything there is to win in football finals. Since 2001, no Spanish team has lost a final of an international competition to a foreign team. In other words: In major competitions, the Spanish representative has recently emerged victorious in the final 27 times.
But in Thierry Henry, the French have a coach who knows how to behave in the decisive moments in order to win. After qualifying for the final, the former European and world champion spoke of his "great relief" at having at least secured a precious metal. "We'll see what color we end up with. I'm living a dream and I don't want to wake up," said the 46-year-old.
Find out whether the former world-class striker can celebrate with another trophy in his home country from 6 p.m. in the Prinzenpark.
