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Fans waxed lyrical about Fermin Lopez for his brilliant brace to help Spain U23 beat France U23 5-3 in extra time in the 2024 Paris Olympics men's football final at the Parc des Princes on Friday, August 9.
Spain had finished runners-up in the last edition of the Olympics but came out with an exceptional performance against the hosts. Enzo Millot gave France the lead in the 11th minute. However, Barcelona's Fermin Lopez netted a quickfire brace (18', 25'). Alex Baena made it 3-1 in the 28th minute with a breathtaking free-kick as La Roja assumed control.
France came out much stronger after the break and pulled one back in the 79th minute when Michael Olise's free-kick bounced off Maghnes Akliouche into the back of the net. The hosts levelled the scores in the third minute of stoppage time via Jean-Philippe Mateta's penalty, sending the final to extra time.
However, Spain displayed great resilience to retake the lead in the 100th minute through Sergio Camello's chip. He scored his second of the game in the 120th minute to confirm the win and a prestigious gold medal.
Barcelona star Fermin Lopez had a good outing during his 73 minutes on the pitch. The 21-year-old scored two goals, created two chances and landed two shots on target from three attempts. He has been consistent throughout the Paris Olympics, scoring seven goals and providing two assists in six games.
One fan reacted, taking a dig at Ronaldo:
"Fermin has a better international lagacy than Ronaldo."
Another posted:
"Gold medalist and player of the tournament fermin lopez LA masia Heritage"
"Maturity is realizing that LOPEZ is better than VINICIUS JR"
Other reactions were as follows:
"Fermin Lopez at the Olympic knockout stages: QF: A brace against Japan, SF: The equaliser and the winning assist against Morocco, Final: A brace against France. A tournament for the ages, absolutely unbelievable!" one fan posted
"From playing in the 3rd division to almost being shipped to Turkey. Fermin Lopez has won both the Euros and the Olympic gold whilst scoring almost 20 goals from midfield and a substitute. His rise has been sensational," another added
"Fermin is goated," one fan tweeted
"Barcelona players carrying the Spanish national team at the Olympic as usual," another chimed in
How did Spain fare in their win over France in the 2024 Paris Olympics final?
Spain bagged their first Olympic gold medal in men's football after 32 years with their win over France. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed:
Both sides shared 50 percent possession of the ball. La Roja completed 515 passes with an accuracy of 87 percent, while France completed 489 passes with an accuracy of 89 percent.
However, the hosts were the more dominant side in attack, firing 29 shots, with 11 being on target, missing two big chances. In contrast, Spain landed 19 shots, with eight on target, missing one big chance.
Moreover, it was the highest-scoring men's football final in Olympics history, as well as Spain's fifth gold medal in the event.
