France knocked out Argentina on Friday in a highly anticipated match, avenging their loss in the previous World Cup final. Tensions had risen before the game due to a video of Argentine players chanting racist slurs directed at French players.
The game, however, was decided early on by Jean-Philippe Mateta’s fifth-minute goal. Unfortunately, the French celebrations in front of the Argentine players escalated into a brief brawl, resulting in a red card for Millot. This incident left a sour taste in the mouth of France coach Thierry Henry, who apologized to his Argentine counterpart, Javier Mascherano.
“I do not condone what happened at the end,” Henry stated. “The red card for my player was unacceptable and should not have occurred. I had gone to shake Mascherano’s hand, and by the time I turned around, the situation had escalated.”
Henry also acknowledged the challenging nature of the game, praising Mascherano and the Argentine team for their strong performance. “We attempted to play between the lines, but it was extremely difficult,” he said. “Argentina maintained possession, forcing us to rely on counter-attacks. Although we scored early, I wouldn’t say it scared us, but we had to be more patient, which isn’t easy.”
France now looks ahead to their match against Egypt on Monday, aiming to secure a spot in the final and pursue their first Olympic gold medal in soccer in four decades.
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