The men’s football tournament came to a dramatic end at the Paris Olympics.
Just not the end the host nation wanted.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, who had helped fuel France’s comeback after falling in a 3-1 hole in the first half against Spain, limped off the field in exhaustion at the final whistle. His teammates were just as weary, lying on the field while Spain’s players wildly celebrated their 5-3 victory after extra time.
Despite the ending, fans at Parc des Princes serenaded the team with the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise."
"It’s cruel but that’s football," France midfielder Desire Doue told television station France 2. "We gave a lot throughout the competition, and again tonight. We came back and took it to extra time. We gave it our all. Unfortunately, we didn’t take some of our chances, we lacked a bit of efficiency."
Enzo Millot scored an early goal for France but then Spain answered with three goals in a short period, putting the home team down 3-1 at the break.
Mateta had converted a penalty kick in stoppage time, pulling even with Spain 3-3 and sending the final into extra time. But ultimately, Spain prevailed with two goals from Sergio Camello.
"It’s part of football," said captain Alexandre Lacazette said. "Sometimes you come back, you fight back, but it’s just a matter of small things sometimes."
Coach Thierry Henry told his players afterward he was proud of them, and reminded them that medaling at the Olympics was "an extraordinary feat."
"I told them, ‘You won. You’ve earned respect for life. You never gave up, in the training sessions, whatever happened, you always stayed. You always fought,’" Henry said. "We know this group of players will never meet again. It’s impossible. We know that, but this group of people will remain together forever in my eyes."
Henry was one of the most decorated players of his generation. He won the World Cup as a player in 1998 on home soil, then was part of the squad that was runners-up in 2006. He also won a European Championship with the French in 2000.
Going into the match, Henry was credited with creating chemistry on a team without superstar Kylian Mbappe, who wasn’t released by new club Real Madrid.
The team went undefeated at the Olympics until the end, finishing atop its group and then beating Argentina and Egypt in the knockout round for a spot in the final.
Despite the loss, Henry and the France squad applauded the fans in the stands. They won a medal, after all, just not the color they had hoped for.
"It’s difficult in the moment to take it all in but it was still a beautiful story," he said.
