In Bordeaux, France, the French men’s soccer team defeated Argentina by a score of 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics. The match ended on a chaotic note with a scuffle breaking out between the players immediately after the final whistle.
The altercation lasted for a couple of minutes before the players were separated. Some of the French players seemed to head towards the tunnel, but they eventually came back out and did a lap of honor.
The Argentinian players faced constant boos from the hostile crowd throughout the match. The French fans celebrated when striker Jean-Philippe Mateta scored in the fifth minute of the game, securing the victory for coach Thierry Henry’s team. They will now face Egypt in the semifinals on Monday in Lyon.
During the scuffle, Mateta was celebrating with captain Alexandre Lacazette when they noticed the commotion. Lacazette quickly rushed back to intervene, alongside Henry and his Argentinian counterpart Javier Mascherano, who appeared to prevent one of his own staff members from joining the conflict.
“I went to shake the opposing coach’s hand, and all of a sudden I saw a lot of things happening. I don’t like witnessing this kind of behavior. It was unnecessary,” said Henry, expressing his disappointment.
As the French fans continued their jubilation, stewards and a small group of riot police formed a ring around the Argentinian fans inside the stadium.
Henry expressed his annoyance at Enzo Millot, who received a red card for his involvement in the fight, even though he had already been substituted. “We didn’t want to lose a player due to suspension, but it was pointless. He wasn’t even playing at the final whistle. I’m really unhappy about that. We were all united, the only downside is getting a red card on the bench,” Henry commented.
Henry, a World Cup and European Championship winner with France, as well as Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer, praised his team’s resilient mentality, saying, “Sometimes in a competition, you win through hardship.”
Both teams were wasteful in front of goal, with Argentina, a two-time Olympic champion, missing several opportunities. The most glaring miss of the game, and perhaps the tournament, came from striker Giuliano Simeone, who headed the ball well over the crossbar from close range during an evenly contested first half.
Tensions briefly flared during stoppage time in the first half when Mateta entered Argentinian penalty area to check on a teammate and was pushed away. Lacazette quickly diffused the situation, and Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli showed sportsmanship by putting an arm around Mateta.
The home crowd taunted the Argentinian team by singing, “Ils sont où les Argentins?” (Where are the Argentines?), as the second half progressed, as Argentina failed to find the back of the net.
Argentina’s striker, Julián Álvarez, missed a golden opportunity and showed disbelief by throwing his head back. Despite being a World Cup champion, two-time Copa America winner, and a Premier League winner, Álvarez failed to score in this tournament.
France thought they had another goal in the dying minutes of regulation time, but Michael Olise’s effort was disallowed after a video replay revealed a foul on an Argentinian player by midfielder Maghnes Akliouche moments earlier.
France’s only Olympic title came in 1984, the same year they won the European Championship.
Argentina, the Olympic champion in 2004 and 2008, faced a hostile crowd in Bordeaux. The Argentinian players were booed before kickoff, and the stadium’s music system attempted to drown out the jeering.
The crowd also jeered during Argentina’s national anthem, and the home fans continued booing whenever the Argentinian players touched the ball.
Prior to this soccer quarterfinal, Argentinian teams had already faced jeering from French fans in the handball and rugby sevens competitions.
Despite the tensions, security measures were not heightened for the match, and the local police prefecture confirmed that security forces adhered to the original plan. Over 400 police and gendarmerie officers, along with 100 military personnel, were present at the event, and drones were utilized to ensure safety.
However, outside the stadium, the atmosphere was much more peaceful. Fans from both nations interacted with each other, showing no signs of hostility. Some carried Argentina flags or wore jerseys with Lionel Messi’s name on the back.
The match served as a rematch that French fans had eagerly awaited since Argentina’s dramatic penalty shootout victory in the 2022 World Cup final. However, due to the nature of the Olympics primarily featuring Under-23 players, superstars like Messi and Kylian Mbappé were not participating.
Majority of the 42,000 crowd consisted of French fans. Bordeaux, a six-time French champion, has recently faced financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy, resulting in their relegation to the fourth-tier amateur league.
Bordeaux is also well-known in France for being the club where Zinedine Zidane, the legendary French footballer, rose to prominence.
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