France edged closer to the 2024 Summer Olympics final after beating Argentina 1-0 in a tense final-four bout.
They will face Egypt, who snuck past Paraguay on penalties following a 1-1 draw in regular time.
Les Bleus and the Pharaohs will meet on Monday night for the chance to compete for the gold medal.
Elsewhere, Spain will face Morocco in the other semi-final.
La Roja cruised past Japan, beating them 3-0 in Lyon, while Morocco smashed the USA, winning 4-0 and booking their place in the final four for the first time.
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Morocco vs USA: Total dominance
Morocco took the initiative against the USA and had the beating of them from the first minute.
Soufiane Rahimi was the first on the scoresheet at Parc des Princes, scoring his fifth goal of the tournament in the first half.
Ilias Akhomach was also in on the action, finishing from close range before captain Achraf Hakimi made it three.
Mehdi Maouhoub came off the bench to round things off with Morocco’s second penalty of the game and it was a perfect evening from Hakimi’s side in the end.
Speaking after the match, he said: “I felt like I was playing at home in this stadium where I play for my club, but also because our fans were very loud and were here in big numbers.
“Fans have been following us all tournament, I hope they can follow us all the way to the final. We want to make them proud.”
Spain vs Japan: Vamos La Roja
🫂 𝐴 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑!
🎉 The semi-finals of an Olympic Games are something to celebrate in style!
Joy in the locker room for this step closer to the medals 🥉🥈🥇 #UnSueñoCompartido | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/yaSUcohjBR
— Spanish Football (@SpainIsFootball) August 2, 2024
Fermin Lopez scored twice in the 3-0 win having contributed to his country’s Euro 2024 victory last month.
The Barcelona midfielder scored early on before adding a second just after half-time.
Mao Hosoya hit the post for Japan and had an effort ruled out for offside, which ultimately cost them as Abel Ruiz put the game to bed late on with an easy tap-in.
All eyes now turn to Marseille on Monday as Spain and Morocco kick-off the semi-finals.
Egypt vs Paraguay: Pharaohs through
It was not easy for Egypt, but they got the job done against Paraguay.
The match finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Diego Gomez giving Paraguay the lead 15 minutes from time before a last-gasp equaliser from Adel Ibrahim took proceedings to extra-time.
And it would be Adel who scored the winning penalty for his country after Marcelo Perez had his effort saved.
Egypt won 5-4 on penalties and will need to regroup if they are to challenge France for a spot in the final.
France vs Argentina: Allez Les Bleus
The eagerly anticipated match between France and Argentina did not live up to the entertainment factor many were hoping for, but it was a very tense match.
𝐖𝐄’𝐕𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐓 🇫🇷🙌
It’s a 1-0 win over Argentina for Les Bleus, who are through to the 𝐎𝐋𝐘𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐂 𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐈-𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐒 🤩🔥#FRAARG | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/C5njvwHwSN
— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) August 2, 2024
Fans inside the stadium booed as the Argentina national anthem was played following recent animosity between the two teams and it would be the hosts who would have the edge.
Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta netted the only goal of the game and it came in the fifth minute when he headed home from ex-Palace team-mate Michael Olise’s corner.
The hosts also had a goal ruled out late on and tensions boiled over at full-time, with several players confronting each other on the pitch.
