Late effort not enough to give France Olympic football gold on home soil

PARIS– The men’s football tournament came to a dramatic end at the Paris Olympics.

But it wasn’t the end the host nation wanted.

Jean-Philippe Mateta, who helped spark France’s comeback after going 3-1 down in the first half against Spain, limped off the field at the final whistle. His teammates were equally tired, lying on the pitch as the Spanish players celebrated. 5-3 victory after extension.

“It’s cruel, but football is like that,” French midfielder Desire Doue told television station France 2. “We gave a lot during the competition and again tonight. We came back and took it to overtime. We gave it our all. Unfortunately, we didn’t take advantage of some of our chances, we lacked a little efficiency.”

Mateta had converted a penalty in stoppage time, drawing Spain 3-3 and sending the final into extra time. But ultimately Spain prevailed with two goals from Sergio Camello.

“As you can see, we fought until the end,” said France coach Thierry Henry. “It was a crazy final, in the end we won a medal.”

Henry was one of the most decorated players of his generation. He won the World Cup as a player in 1998, at home, and then was part of the team that finished 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 in a team without star player Kylian Mbappe, who was not released by new club Real Madrid.

Despite the defeat, Henry and the French team applauded the fans in the stands. After all, they won a medal, but not the color they expected.

“It’s hard at the moment to take it all in, but it was still a beautiful story,” he said.

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