Paris 2024: France Defeats United States In Olympic Men’s Football Opener

By Published On: July 25, 2024

In the opening match of group play for the men’s […]

In the opening match of group play for the men’s Olympic competition in Marseille on Wednesday, France defeated the United States 3-0 with the help of a furious second half performance.

After a scoreless first half, the floodgates opened when Alexandre Lacazette, one of France’s senior players in the squad, lashed a shot past U.S. keeper Patrick Schulte to make it 1-0.

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Michael Olise, who just made a high-profile move from Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich, doubled the lead soon after and Loïc Badé smashed home a header before full-time to give Thierry Henry’s host side the opening win and top spot in Group A.

France had to fight hard against an American team before finding its rhythm; Djordje Mihailovic’s shot struck the crossbar with the game still goalless. The next goal was Lacazette’s, practically immediately.

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The United States, making a first Olympic appearance in men’s soccer since 2008, is in third behind New Zealand, which beat Guinea 2-1 in the other Group A match of the day.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty