As the host of the 2024 Paris Olympics, U23 France easily won all of Group A, gaining the maximum 9 points. Meanwhile, Argentina U23 only ranked 2nd in Group B. They lost to Morocco U23, but won both Iraq U23 and Ukraine U23.
U23 France and U23 Argentina are considered two strong candidates for the gold medal. Therefore, their meeting is considered an early final. But more worth mentioning are the recent conflicts between the two football backgrounds.
At the 2022 World Cup final, Argentina won against France, thereby winning the championship. After the match, goalkeeper Martinez took actions to mock Mbappe. When winning the 2024 Copa America, midfielder Enzo Fernandez celebrated excessively, saying racist words towards the French player.
Because of this incident, Enzo apologized on social networks. The French Football Federation is also planning to sue the Argentine Football Federation to FIFA because of this. Therefore, France U23 meeting Argentina U23 will become very hot. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Argentina's U23 players were booed by many spectators every time they competed. Even Argentina's 7-man rugby team suffered the same thing.
“I won't say anything about what happened. We have won tickets to the quarterfinals and are only focused on the upcoming match," France U23 coach Thierry Henry dodged the question about previous controversies with Argentine football.
Meanwhile, Argentinian media was excited when U23 Argentina met the host team of the 2024 Olympics. Tyc Sports commented: "This is not just a match for the Olympics. There will be a heated atmosphere like a World Cup match. This is a huge stimulus for Argentina U23."
Meanwhile, Argentina's U23 players appeared confident. Striker Julian Alvarez and midfielder Thiago Almada emphasized that to win the gold medal, the team needs to defeat any opponent.
“We know the match with France U23 is very meaningful, because they are the hosts. But I think Argentina U23 has what it takes for this match. To reach the final, we have to beat anyone. Whoever it is, we will try our best and I think we will be fine,” said Alvarez.
Meanwhile, captain Otamendi shared: “France U23 gave me the same feeling as if we had met any other team. I know there is competition between us because of the last World Cup and what's going on.
Our goal is very clear: to win the gold medal. I try to instill in the young players that no matter which team we meet, we must have the same winning mentality as when we came here, playing actively and focusing on each match."
The quarterfinal match between U23 France and U23 Argentina takes place at 2:00 a.m. on August 3.
