Spain is the Olympic champion. After defeating host nation France 3-2 in the men’s soccer final at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Spain secured the gold medal and confirmed their status as a powerhouse in the sport, having also won the Euro 2024.

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Spain and France have faced off in various team sports at the Olympics. For instance, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to the pandemic), they met in the quarterfinals of the men’s soccer tournament, where Spain won 2-0. They’ve also competed in other sports like basketball and volleyball.

In this match, Spain came from behind to win after France initially took the lead with an early goal from Enzo Millot in the 11th minute due to a blunder by Spanish goalkeeper Arnau Tenas.

Minutes later, Barcelona’s Fermín Torres equalized for Spain with a close-range shot in the 17th minute. Torres wasn’t done yet, as he scored again in the 24th minute after a rebound in the French penalty area to make it 2-1.

Three minutes later, Álex Baena extended Spain’s lead with a stunning free kick in the 27th minute, making it 3-1 and putting the hosts in a tough spot.

In the second half, France responded with a free kick from Michael Olise, which Maghnes Akliouche finished off in the 78th minute to close the gap to 3-2. As the match neared its end, a controversial penalty allowed France to equalize 3-3 with a superbly taken spot kick by captain Meteta in the 90+2nd minute.

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In extra time, Spain unleashed their fury, with hero Sergio Camello scoring twice to secure the gold medal. First, Camello scored a beautiful goal in the 99th minute to make it 4-3. Later, in the final moments of the second extra period, Camello struck again with a brilliant finish after a great pass from the Spanish goalkeeper to seal a 5-3 victory and deliver the long-awaited and well-deserved gold medal for Spain.