Spain Wins Historic GOLD Medal, France Clinch The SILVER, As Morocco Gets The BRONZE In The Men's Football Olympic Games In Paris 2024.

The 16-team Olympic men’s football competition in Paris 2024 has finally come to an end, as the three podium finishers were awarded their medals respectively at the Parc des Princes on Friday night.

Morocco players, dressed in maroon and green tracksuits, are the first to receive their Olympic bronze medals.

The Atlas Lions are awarded the bronze after they thrashed Egypt 6-0 in the third-place playoff as earlier reported on Thursday.

The team was led onto the field by their captain Achraf Hakimi, who plies his trade at French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint Germain. The team also features Soufiane Rahimi, who finished as the top scorer of the Paris Games with eight goals.

The bronze is Morocco’s first Olympic medal in a team sport, and this Olympic achievement comes less than two years after the North African team reached the men’s senior World Cup semifinals in Qatar 2022 and finished fourth after knocking out heavyweights Spain and Portugal in the knockout rounds.

France all dressed in all-white tracksuits, are awarded the silver medals after losing 5-3 in extra time to Spain in a frenetic final, ending their hopes of a first Olympic gold since Los Angeles 1984.

Thierry Henry’s France team, pushed the Spanish side to their limits but failed to finally emerge victorious in front of their home fans.

It was another painful defeat in a final for a France team after losing on penalties to Argentina at the World Cup in 2022. 

Nonetheless, it is a commendable achievement for the French team, who have won an Olympic medal after 40 years, having grabbed the gold at the 1984 Games.

“We tried to respond as best we could,” Henry said. 

“France is beautiful when we are all together, when we unite. It was a wonderful sight to see those flags, red, white and blue.

“People from the get-go wanted to support us. We lost tonight, but they kept singing.”

Olympic gold medallists Spain finally got their hands on the all-elusive gold medal.

Dressed in tracksuits coloured white, yellow and red, the Spanish players stand on the podium, as FIFA President Gianni Infantino handed them the gold medals and some players quickly plant a kiss, embracing a beautiful moment in their careers.

Spain, who lost the final to Brazil at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, have become the first European gold medallist in men’s football since they last won the tournament at the Barcelona Games in 1992.

Not even during Spain’s dominant run of winning back-to-back Euros and the World Cup from 2008-2012, could it add to that sole Olympic gold.

Spain’s victory ended the dominance of Latin American nations for the last five editions of the Olympics. Brazil and Argentina won twice in that time, with Mexico also taking gold.

Nigeria won at Atlanta 1996 and Cameroon at Sydney 2000.

Spain’s win also marks a personal double for Fermin Lopez and Alex Baena, who were both part of the winning squad that won the European Championship just last month.

The victory underlined the power of Spanish football once again. Spain also won the under 19s European Championship last month beating France in the final.

Now their U-23 side have proved they have another generation of winners who are ready to conquer football following a dramatic final at Parc des Princes. 

It happened that Spain came from behind with three goals in 10 first-half minutes then survived a late France fightback with a thrilling 5-3 extra-time victory to seal their summer of international football glory with the Olympic gold.

It was the highest-scoring men’s soccer gold medal match since 1912. 

France opened the scoring early with Enzo Millot pouncing on a loose ball in the box to fire into the top left corner after a poor attempted block by Spanish goalkeeper Arnau Tenas.

Spain replied with three goals in 10 minutes as Barcelona star Fermin Lopez struck twice and a picture perfect free kick from Alex Baena made it 3-1 in the 28th minute. Both players had played for the La Roja that won the Euro 2024 title in July. 

Roared on by passionate home crowd, France regained the plot and mounted a late fairytale comeback in the second half after Maghnes Akliouche scored in the 79th. France pushed the game to extra time when VAR review awarded the hosts a penalty following a foul by Benat Turrientes on fellow substitute Arnaud Kalimuendo in the area.

Jean-Phillipe Mateta converted the spot kick sending the goalkeeper the wrong way as he equalized 3-3 in the 93rd minute.

It was the Crystal Palace striker sixth goal of the tournament.

In extra time, with .

But it was Spain's Camello who scored by lobbing the ball on the run over the stranded Restes before sealing the win after a brilliant save by the keeper in the final seconds.

Going into the 30 minutes extra-time, Spain had already taken off Lopez and Baena, as Thierry Henry's French team pushed for a winner.

The momentum swung once again when Rayo Vallecano striker Sergio Camello who came in as an 83rd-minute substitute put the Spanish team ahead.

Camello lifted over France goalkeeper Guillaume Restes in the 100th and he got his second when racing away from his own half in the first minute of time added on.

The forward tore off his shirt and was quickly swamped by his La Roja teammates and substitutes, who piled onto the field from the touchline in frenzied celebrations.

Spain’s coach Santi Denia said his players deserved to cry “tears of joy” after “such a long-suffering match.”

Long-suffering for the players, maybe. But for anyone watching, it will live in the memory as a classic.

"It is something beautiful, but above all I'm happy for the players, for the way they achieved the win" Santi Denia told reporters.

"It was an amazing match against a high-level French team. I'm proud also of the model of play we represent."

Meanwhile, Spain are also thriving in Women’s football after the national team won the World Cup last year, but they could not add to that success at the Olympics, as they lost 1-0 to Germany in the bronze medal match earlier on Friday.

The women’s Olympic gold medal match between the United States and Brazil will take place at the same venue, the Parc des Princes, on Saturday at 5pm local time (15:00 GMT).

Team USA is aiming for its record-extending fifth Olympic gold medal, while Brazil are looking for their first.