Olympics
Last European winners, Spain are the new Olympic football champions
Spain are the new champions in men’s football of the Olympics after beating France 5-3 after extra time in the gold medal match at the Parc de Princes in Paris.
What a feat for Spain. They were the last European team to win the gold medal in 1992 and have become the first European winners after a 28-year hiatus.
More accolades for Spain. No team ever scored five goals in a gold medal match of the Olympics.
France got off to a dream start and hit the front on 11 minutes. Enzo Millot made a good connection with his shot, but Spain goalkeeper Arnau Tenas appeared to misjudge the flight of the ball, only succeeding in parrying it into the net.
Spain responded quickly, and their equaliser came via a predictable source. Alex Baena played in Fermin Lopez, who swept a fine first-time finish into the bottom corner.
Lopez soon had his and Spain’s second. Abel Ruiz’s close-range effort was saved by Guillaume Restes, but the Barcelona star was on the rebound in a flash to slot home his sixth goal of the tournament. Spain were rampant at this stage and they made it 3-1 when Baena curled home a magnificent free-kick.
After initially looking shellshocked, France gradually regained a foothold in the game, and they came close to reducing the deficit on the stroke of half-time. Jean-Philippe Mateta’s header appeared to be looping into the net, but Tenas tipped the ball over the bar.
Les Bleus upped the ante after the break and, after Loic Bade shot off target, Manu Kone’s header rattled the crossbar. The all-action Kone then forced a stunning one-handed save from Tenas, before Millot blazed over from a tight angle.
France’s relentless pressure was eventually rewarded when Maghnes Akliouche diverted Michael Olise’s free-kick into the net. France were now within striking distance, and Mateta levelled from the spot in stoppage time after Arnaud Kalimuendo was upended in the area.
There was still time for Spain’s Benat Turrientes to hit the bar with a rasping drive before the game entered extra-time.
La Roja, however, would have the last word. Camello’s ice-cold 100th-minute finish put them ahead and he struck again in the dying moments, rifling home after latching on to a wonderful long pass from goalkeeper Tenas.
The Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower since June to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games were removed from the Parisian monument early on Friday morning, as confirmed by an AFP photographer. But the Paris City Hall intends to replace them with a more permanent structure until 2028.
The five-coloured rings, measuring 29 metres in length and 15 metres in height, were placed between the first and second levels of the iconic iron structure on 7 June.
According to Inside the Games publication, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants the Olympic symbol to continue decorating the monument until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
But the descendants of the tower’s creator, Gustave Eiffel are opposing the move. They are insisting that the Olympic rings are aesthetically in conflict with the concept and design of the Tower.
The 30-tonne rings initially installed on the Eiffel Tower were also not designed to withstand winter weather conditions.
Olympics
Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that participatedat the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.
The mandate includes a thorough expenditure check and a performance review to better highlight areas of improvement and fund allocation in future Games.
Additionally, the president plans to take necessary measures against federations —such as limiting funds— that had negative results in the Paris Games.
Egypt’s participation in sports where it lacks a competitive advantage will also be limited, as the president aims to direct resources to promising athletes to ensure optimal results. The president also aims to reduce administrative and technical staff within Olympic delegations and task relevant ministries with preparing future Olympic athletes.
Al-Sisi’s Olympic overhaul is to be presented to the cabinet for approval and urged the government to prioritise amending the sports law for the House of Representatives for review.
Egypt took home a total of three medals in the Summer Games. Ahmed El-Gendy triumphed in modern pentathlon, Sara Samir claimed the silver in weightlifting, and 21-year-old fencer Mohamed El-Sayed earned the bronze.
-Insidethegames
Paris 2024 sold a record 12 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012, organisers said on Sunday.
Some 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics and 2.5 million for the Paralympics, which end on Sunday.
In 2012, London organisers set the record for the Paralympics with 2.7 million tickets sold but only 8.2 million were sold for the Olympics.
-Reuters
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