France defeated Argentina 1-0 in the quarter-finals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in a match full of tension. At the final whistle, disturbances broke out between the two teams on the pitch.
France took an early lead with a header by Jean–Philippe Mateta from a corner kick by Michael Olise. Javier Mascherano’s team came close to an equalizer but were unable to get it.
As soon as the match was over, Enzo Millot, a French player who had already been replaced, approached Argentina’s substitutes’ bench and began to celebrate in the players’ faces the qualification to the semifinals, which caused a scandal. After the game, Millot was shown a red card by the referee and he will miss the semifinal match.
Things were heated up before the match after Argentina emerged as Copa America champions, and Enzo Fernandez along with other players apparently made racist chants against France via an Instagram livestream.
Thierry Henry spoke out after the scandal
After the match, when the situation had calmed down, the coach of the French national team, Thierry Henry, spoke to TyC Sports, and said: “I turned to shake hands with the opposing coach. And I see things. I’ve just been told that Enzo Millot has received a red card, we’ll see if he deserves it. I don’t like this kind of thing. It wasn’t necessary No, it doesn’t ruin the qualification but it’s useless, I’m really not happy with that, let’s not talk about it anymore, great respect for the Argentina team, but this team showed it. It had temperament. You can see a unity, but the only drawback is to take a red on the bench, not at all.”
Against who and when will France play for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games semifinals?
Following France’s victory in the quarter-finals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Thierry Henry’s team will face Egypt, who beat Paraguay in a penalty shootout, on Monday, August 5.