Key events
Team news
Thierry Henry, after implementing a nine-player rotation in the last group encounter against New Zealand while France had already secured progress, has reinstated eight players from that match. The sole exclusion is Maghnes Akliouche, as Enzo Millot has fully recovered from his injury. Essentially, this reflects the starting lineup that commenced the competition for France.
Argentina brings in three players from their 2-0 triumph over Ukraine. <strong>Joaquin Garcia</strong>, <strong>Bruno Amione</strong>, and <strong>Kevin Zenon</strong> take the place of Gonzalo Lujan, Julio Soler Barreto, and Luciano Gondou.
France (potential 4-3-1-2) Restes; Sildillia, Bade, Lukeba, Truffert; Millot, Kone, Chottard; Olise; Mateta, Lacazette.
Substitutes: Nkambadio, Akliouche, Kalimuendo, Doue, Locko, Magassa, Cherki.
Argentina (potential 4-4-2) Rulli; Garcia, Di Cesare, Otamendi, Amione; Zenon, Medina, Fernandez, Almada; Simeone, Alvarez.
Substitutes: Brey, Soler, Echeverri, Lujan, Hezze, Gondou, Beltran.
Referee Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan).
France dominated their group: securing three victories, netting seven goals, and conceding none. Thierry Henry’s roster includes the impressive Michael Olise alongside two overage players familiar to Premier League fans: Alexandre Lacazette and Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Argentina ended second in Group B after an initial loss to Morocco, who advanced to the semi-finals earlier today with a 4-0 win over the USA. Javier Mascherano’s team features Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez and World Cup-winning defender Nicolas Otamendi, now at 36 years old.
Preamble
Greetings! We are excited to provide live minute-by-minute updates of the men’s quarter-final encounter between France and Argentina. Matches at the Olympics rarely generate such passion: the revelation of Argentinian players singing offensive songs following their Copa America win last month has ignited outrage among the French.
You can read more about this controversy in Daniel Boffey’s analysis.
The quarter-final football match between France and Argentina has been deemed deeply personal for every French citizen, as expressed by striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, after outrage followed footage of Argentinian players engaging in racist chants.
Tensions have been rising between the two nations after a video surfaced following last month’s Copa América final, showing Argentinian players singing derogatory lyrics about French athletes with African heritage.
During the initial days of the Games in Paris, both the Argentinian football and rugby teams were met with widespread booing from the crowd, and players from each side have recognized the charged atmosphere leading into Friday evening’s match in Bordeaux.
Mateta mentioned that the upcoming game has turned into a subject of national discourse, stating, “Argentina are the last world champions, often reaching the finals of tournaments. The recent incidents have affected all the French. We shall see what transpires in the quarter-finals.”
The French Football Federation has filed a formal complaint with FIFA regarding “racist and discriminatory remarks” made by Argentinian players. Similar chants were reportedly heard from Argentinian supporters in the lead-up to the previous meeting between France and Argentina in the men’s World Cup final, where Argentina emerged victorious.
Find further details here…
Kickoff is scheduled for 8pm BST, 9pm local time in Bordeaux. The winner will face either Egypt or Paraguay in Tuesday’s semi-final.
