At 3:00 a.m. on August 3, the much-anticipated quarter-final of the Olympic men's soccer team kicked off with passion and tension, as the two strongest teams, France U23 and Argentina U23, faced off in a fierce battle on the green field. This game is not only a technical and tactical competition, but also a collision of will and belief.
At the beginning of the first half, the players of both sides quickly entered the state, and the rhythm of offense and defense was extremely fast. France gradually took the initiative by virtue of their excellent midfield control and precise passing. In the 20th minute, France won a corner kick opportunity, Oliseh accurately punished the ball to the front of the penalty area, Matej Tower with excellent running and header ability, a powerful header broke the Argentine goal, 1-0! France took the lead, the whole stadium instantly boiled.
Argentina didn't get discouraged, they quickly adjusted their tactics and strengthened their siege on the French goal. Soon after, Argentina had a great chance to equalize, Simeone received a fine direct feed from a teammate in the penalty area, but he hesitated to shoot in the face of the open goal, which was bravely deflected by the French goalkeeper, and he missed a valuable opportunity to score.
The match resumed at the end of the second leg, and although the physicality of the players on both sides was reduced, the intensity of the match did not diminish in any way. France continued to play solid defense while looking for counterattacks. In the 65th minute, Oliseh again became the focus of the field, his shot penetrated the Argentine defense, and was about to change the score, but the referee, after watching the VAR replay, ruled that Oliseh's goal was invalid because the assisting player, Akeliouche, stepped on the defender before passing the ball, which was a foul action. The penalty added to the tension on the pitch and sparked some controversy between the two players.
As the match entered extra time, Argentina launched a final frantic attack, pressing almost all of their forces in an attempt to equalize the score. However, at the critical moment, France's defense showed great concentration and toughness, and they managed to defuse Argentina's attacks one after another. Finally, at the end of extra time, Argentine striker Gundu had a great chance to shoot in the penalty area, but his shot went wide of the post, missing the chance to equalize.
With the referee's whistle, the match was over, and the French National Olympic Team successfully advanced to the quarterfinals of this year's Olympic men's soccer tournament with a 1-0 victory over the Argentinean National Olympic Team.
