French Olympic Player Eager to Face Argentina; Recent Events Impacted All French People

In the final round of the Paris Olympics men’s football group stage, France defeated New Zealand 3-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals as group leaders. They will face Argentina this Friday in the quarterfinals. After the match, French player Jean-Philippe Mateta spoke about the game and referenced the Argentine players singing a racist song during their Copa America celebration.

The 27-year-old Crystal Palace player expressed that he is already “eager” for the upcoming knockout stage and looks forward to playing against Argentina.

Mateta also clearly stated that he believes Enzo and the Argentine players singing discriminatory songs targeting French players has cast a shadow over this match. “Recent events have impacted all French people. We’ll see what happens in the quarterfinals.”

“Argentina are the reigning World Cup champions, and they always manage to reach the finals of tournaments. But now we’re celebrating our progression to the knockout stage, and then we’ll gradually approach this match,” the French player added.

When asked if he had been following the matches of Argentina’s team coached by Mascherano, Mateta candidly replied: “I’ve been following it, but now is the time for celebration. From now on, a new competition begins, but it can also come to an end at any moment.”

Mascherano’s Argentine Olympic team secured a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Lyon, finishing second in Group B and advancing to the quarterfinals. Despite losing to Morocco in the group stage, Argentina still qualified for the next round.

The Argentine team, coached by Mascherano, demonstrated strong ball control and dominated most of the first half, but failed to break through Ukraine’s goal. Shortly after the start of the second half, Amada scored a brilliant goal to give Argentina the lead. Argentina sealed the win with a late goal from Echeverri, securing a 2-0 victory over Ukraine.