Cast your mind back to this summer's European Championships. (Believe it or not, they were only a month ago. We had to double-check that because it feels like they wrapped up sometime in 2018, but no.
) There were several standout games in the tournament, from Switzerland vs. Italy in the Round of 16 to Georgia vs. Portugal in the group stages, but one rises head and shoulders above the rest: Spain vs.
France in the semifinals. This game doesn't stick in our collective memory because of its top-to-bottom skill; it wasn't Spain's best performance of the tournament (that would be against Italy or Germany) and we'd be lying if we told you France had even one good performance in its six dull appearances. No, it stands out because of a young man named Lamine Yamal .
The 16-year-old Spaniard shook off the nerves of the occasion and delivered one of the greatest goals in Euro history. Goal of the tournament. Goal of the summer.
Goal of the year, probably, and we've still got fall and winter to come. That's how good it was. Goal of the semi-finals ✅ Lamine Yamal's incredible strike wins it! #EUROGOTT | @AlipayPlus pic.
twitter.com/BMzFOgLEkG The men's Olympic soccer final, taking place in Paris on Friday, Aug. 9, is a rematch of that epic game: France and Spain will once again go head-to-head to battle for European supremacy.
But the similarities stop there. The men's Olympic soccer tournament is an under-23 affair, featuring young players who didn't make the cut for their senior squads. That means no Mbappé, no Rodri, and, crucially, no Lamine Yamal to pop up and score a golazo from 30 yards.
But is that so bad? If this tournament has taught us anything, it's that strength and depth matters to national soccer programs and banger goals can come from just about anywhere. Spain doesn't have Lamine Yamal, but it does have Pau Cubarsi bossing around the back line and causing havoc. France doesn't have Mbappé to carry it through this final, but it does have Michael Olise , and honestly, on the basis of the Olympics, he seems to be a perfectly suitable replacement.
What a strike by Michael Olise! France double their lead and the home fans are loving it. #ParisOlympics USA & Peacock pic.twitter.
com/QsimLuDvPg We know men's Olympic soccer isn't well-liked by many, but we do think you should check this final out. Not because Lamine Yamal is going to pop up and score a golazo, but because someone else is going to have that opportunity. In a world where teams are increasingly striated and results are easy to predict, this Olympic final — between two strong nations but featuring players you don't always see — is a beautiful, unpredictable thing.
Not for nothing, that unpredictability makes betting a lot wilder and a lot more fun. So here's what we're eyeing as France and Spain battle it out for the gold medal in Paris: Home soil heroics. Never underestimate the power of playing in front of 75,000 people who want you to succeed.
France will essentially start this game with an extra player thanks to the outpouring of home support it will receive in Paris. That home support has been important for France so far: it's led to brilliant comebacks in the knockout rounds that probably wouldn't have been possible without the extra love. We love Spain, and if this were a senior-level match, we'd back Spain to win regardless, but it isn't.
It's a junior game with junior emotions that could well be swayed by the noise of the crowd. We're backing France to win this one at home at +137 . (Note: if you disagree and would rather back Spain, we'd suggest backing a Spain win with at least one France goal at +600 over a straight Spain victory.
Spain only managed to keep one clean sheet in Olympic play; both Uzbekistan and the Dominican Republic managed to find their way through its defense.) A Michael Olise clinic. Olise didn't just score that stellar strike against the United States: he's been everywhere for France in this tournament, turning up at all the right moments to create chaos.
"Personally, I'm not surprised by what he's done and what he's doing," French Olympic coach Thierry Henry said yesterday. "He has enormous qualities, and you haven't seen anything yet." We're backing Olise to prove it by scoring in the final at +333 .
A blistering start. Neither France nor Spain wants to be behind in this final. While we think goals may take a while to appear, we think corners will be plentiful in the first half of this match.
Both teams will be eager to get the ball down the field and rattle some nerves. We're backing more than five corners in the first half at +162. The men's Olympic soccer final between France and Spain will kick off on Friday, Aug.
9 at 12 p.m. ET.
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