There were no surprises in the group stage of the football tournament in Paris. The favorites easily secured their spots in the quarterfinals, and today the real action begins. Argentina, France, and Spain are the main contenders for the gold. The big derby of this round is the match between the host nation and the Gauchos in Bordeaux (22:00). The coach of the Olympic team of the world champion, Javier Mascherano, has brought a strong squad to the Games, including three players over the age of 23. The star of the team is Manchester City’s forward Julián Álvarez, who played a crucial role in the best Gauchos team that won the World Cup in Qatar and twice triumphed in the Copa América. Also included are veteran center-back Nicolás Otamendi and goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli. On the wing, the super-talented new Botafogo player Thiago Almada will be in action.France will play against Argentina in the quarterfinals of the Olympics on Friday. pic.twitter.com/qz2rkONLql— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 30, 2024 The Gauchos got off to a bad start, losing their opener to Morocco (1-2) in a controversial match. However, victories over Iraq and Ukraine opened the doors to the quarterfinals, albeit from the second position, behind the Moroccans, who are led by Paris Saint-Germain star Achraf Hakimi. The French team finished the first phase with a perfect record and a goal difference of 7-0. They won 3-0 against both the USA and New Zealand and secured a narrow victory against Guinea. The most notable player is Lyon striker and former Arsenal star Alexandre Lacazette. Coach Thierry Henry has a large number of talented players, including Lyon forward Rayan Cherki, Bayern Munich’s new player Michael Olise, as well as Kalimuendo, Lukeba, Diouf, and Badé.Paris Olympics: “This is shame, worst Games ever, players had to buy pizza, they can’t sleep”This match had a fiery prelude. After this year’s Copa América, where Argentina celebrated victory, a video surfaced showing the world champion’s players making racist comments about French players of African descent. One of the players who was heavily criticized at the time was Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández. The Blues star later apologized for the offensive song and donated money to a charity fighting against discrimination. The French team complained to FIFA, demanding punishment for the Gauchos. Enzo’s teammate from the London team, Wesley Fofana, called it unrestrained racism but later accepted the Argentine’s apology. Now these two teams will face off in a match that will be more than just a quarterfinal of the Olympic Games. Forward Jean-Philippe Mateta highlighted in the pre-match interview that it is every Frenchman’s dream for their team to defeat the Gauchos.”Argentina is the world champion, a team that always ends up in the finals of the tournaments they play in. What happened recently touches every French person” Mateta stated.Redemption Enzo: will his apology and charity prevent the Blues from falling apart?The Gauchos were not well-received in Paris. Even their rugby team was booed. Tensions have heightened ahead of this duel. The Argentine anthem is sure to be mocked in Bordeaux as well.”We know where we come from and how they will behave towards us in France. There is no doubt that we will do everything possible to fly our flag at the highest level again” said Rulli. These two teams, of course in their full-strength lineups, played just under two years ago in the World Cup final in Qatar, which was one of the best matches for the gold in the history of the World Championships. The Argentinians dethroned the Tricolores after a penalty shootout. The stakes tonight are not as high, as football is secondary at the Olympic Games, but there is no doubt that we can expect “more than a game” in Bordeaux.OLYMPIC GAMES – MEN’S FOOTBALLQuarter-finalsFriday16.00: (2.25) Morocco M23 (3.40) USA M23 (3.20)18.00: (4.00) Japan M23 (3.35) Spain M23 (2.00)20.00: (3.05) Egypt M23 (3.35) Paraguay M23 (2.35)22.00: (4.00) France M23 (3.35) Argentina M23 (2.00)***odds are subject to change***
