Every four years, football fans are treated to high-quality football. The Olympic Games' football tournament usually takes a back seat as it follows the European Championship and Copa America, but I think this tournament has been exciting. We've seen many new talents emerge, dramatic matches, and fantastic goals. Now it's time for the final, where the host nation France faces the newly crowned European champions Spain in what feels like the perfect conclusion to this tournament.
As you may remember, Spain defeated France in the semi-final of this summer's European Championship, and now the French are out for revenge. The team has been impressive throughout the tournament, and coach Thierry Henry has selected the right senior players. Before the semi-final, France had not conceded a goal in the tournament, and their offense had delivered as expected. However, they faced a tougher challenge in the semi-final. France was missing both Millot and Kone, while Egypt played aggressive defense and constantly threatened on the counter-attack. It seemed both fair and logical when the Egyptians took the lead in the 62nd minute, and many thought they would hold on. But after immense pressure, Mateta finally equalized in the 83rd minute (he had previously hit the crossbar with a header), sending the match into extra time, just as I predicted. In extra time, Egypt's best player, Fayed, received his second yellow card, and the entire team collapsed. Mateta scored his second goal shortly after, and Olise sealed the match with his 3-1 goal. Considering the entire tournament, the result was fair, but you can't help but sympathize with Egypt based on this match. Henry has both Millot and Kone back for the final, and if it weren't for these midfielders, I would have considered Spain heavy favorites because it was evident against Egypt how much they were missed. The team has no other injuries or suspensions, so Henry can field his best lineup. This likely means continuing with Mateta, Lacazette, and Olise leading the offense. Olise has really shown why Bayern Munich decided to invest in him—he's not just a finisher but also a playmaker, as he demonstrated in the last match where he recorded 1+1 and has a total of 2+4 in the tournament.
Unfortunately for Spain, their women's team was eliminated by Brazil in the semi-final, and today at 15:00, they face Germany in the third-place match. So now it's up to the men to ensure that Spain wins both the Olympics and the European Championship in the same year, and they have a good chance. Spain has been flying through the tournament. Their only real setback came against Egypt, where they lost, but it's important to note that the team had already secured a spot in the knockout stages and rotated large parts of the squad. In the semi-final, they faced Morocco in a very tight match. It looked like they were in control initially, but they conceded a penalty in the 37th minute, which the tournament's top scorer Rahimi converted. They had to wait until well into the second half before, in my opinion, the tournament's best player, Fermin Lopez, equalized with a long-range shot. The same Lopez then assisted Sanchez, who decided the match in the 85th minute. Coach Abatti Abel comes into this match with confidence, knowing that he has several players who can make the difference, but the big problem has been the defense, which has looked complacent. In the final, they will need to be extremely vigilant. The center-back pairing of Eric Garcia and Cubarsi knows it will be a tough match when they face Lacazette and Mateta. The key for Spain will be to maintain possession and technically dominate the midfield, making the French run and chase, which they have the quality to do. Offensively, much revolves around Fermin Lopez, who has both a sharp passing foot and a powerful shot. Otherwise, a lot will depend on Abel Ruiz and Sergio Gomez making runs to create open spaces.
If this were just a U23 match, it would be 50/50, but that's not the case. Henry has brought in Lacazette and Mateta, whom I rate higher than Spain's counterparts Garcia and Miranda. Add to that a red-hot Olise and a defense that has shown they can keep clean sheets, and I have to consider France the clear favorites. But it's also a final, and anything can happen in a final. If Spain is to win this, Fermin Lopez must be as good as he has been in previous matches. It will be a close match, and I can see both teams scoring, but both experience and depth favor France, especially if the match goes to extra time. So my bet is that France will win the final at odds of 1.69.
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FRANCE VS. SPAIN
1.69
FRANCE TO WIN GOLD
FRANCE VS. SPAIN
1.69
FRANCE TO WIN GOLD
