Mateta Shoots France Into The Olympic Men’s Football Finals

Guest Egypt was defeated 3-1 by France in the semi-finals, setting up a Friday Olympic final against Spain. In the end, France needed extra time to defeat Egypt thanks to goals from Michael Olise and Jean-Philippe Mateta. After trailing in the first half, Thierry Henry's team won with a magnificent comeback. With ten minutes remaining, the hosts were down, but Mateta's incredible brace kept them from suffering an unexpected loss. Mateta is in excellent form and has scored four goals thus far in the competition. The intense match between these behemoths kept audiences on the edge of their seats. Now, they are going to face the Euro Cup 2024 winner - Spain. Earlier, the same day, La Roja defeated Morocco in another exciting semi-final which ended in 2-1 for the Euro champs. 

A Nail-Biting Match

Mahmoud Saber's goal for Egypt shortly after the hour mark appeared to be enough to send Thierry Henry's team sailing out of the Lyon semi-final. But in the 83rd minute, Mateta, the Crystal Palace striker, tied the score thanks to an assist from Olise.

After center-back Omar Fayed was sent off at the beginning of extra time, Egypt was down to 10 men. The hosts capitalized on their numerical advantage as Mateta entered the game.Mateta's third goal in as many games gave Thierry Henry's team an equalizing goal, but not before they wasted chance after chance. Kiliann Sildillia headed Olise's corner back across goal for Mateta's second goal, and Mateta scored his fourth goal of the tournament.

In extra time, France's third goal of the game was scored by Michael Olise, who ensured that the team advanced over Egypt. After some excellent work by Desire Doue, the ball dropped to the Bayern Munich forward in the area, and he shot past Hamza Alaa to send the ecstatic French audience into ecstasy.

Without Enzo Millot and Manu Koné, the suspended midfield pair who ended Argentina's thrilling quarterfinal victory with a red card, France frequently appeared fragmented. They did, however, have the better of the opportunities, and late in the first half, defender Loïc Badé headed a corner that struck the post.