The Thierry Henry-led side will face Spain in the final at Parc des Princes on August 9.
The Paris 2024 hosts displayed resilience, coming from behind after conceding their first goal of the tournament.
Egypt’s Mahmoud Saber initially put his team ahead with a stunning strike, but Jean-Philippe Mateta leveled the score late in regular time.
Mateta’s equalizer paved the way for an intense extra-time battle. Mateta scored again, followed by a goal from Michael Olise, securing France’s place in the final. This victory extends their quest for a second Olympic title, their first since 1984.
Coach Thierry Henry expressed his enthusiasm after the match, stating, “What a night! All credit to the players. Egypt were really good today but we never stopped going and the fans pushed us forward.”
Henry added, “We have secured a medal now but we have one more step to go to win our first football gold medal after 40 years. Now Spain await us in the final and it’s going to be a big game.”
Mateta reflected on the night, saying, “This was the night of my dreams. But I need one more night now to keep dreaming. This is for the fans, they kept chanting even after we went behind in the score.”
France will now face Spain, who secured their second consecutive Olympic men’s football final by defeating Morocco 2-1 in Marseille.
Spain’s goals came from Fermin Lopez and Juanlu Sanchez in the second half, overcoming an initial lead by Morocco.
Spain’s goalkeeper Arnau Tenas remarked, “It was an intense, tough, complicated, physical match but the team has bounced back in the most difficult match we have had so far.”
Morocco’s Soufiane Rahimi, the tournament’s top scorer, opened the scoring in the 37th minute with a penalty.
However, Spain equalized in the 66th minute through Lopez, who capitalized on a defensive error. Sanchez then clinched the victory with a late goal following a well-executed team move.
