- France defeated Argentina 1-0 in the semi-final of the men’s Olympic football tournament
- This was the latest episode in one of the fiercest rivalries in international football
- After the final whistle, a brawl broke out between 30 men on the pitch in Bordeaux
France coach Thierry Henry called the behaviour of some of his players unacceptable after their 1-0 Olympic quarter-final win over Argentina in Bordeaux ended in a brawl and a red card for midfielder Enzo Millot.
Hosts France knocked out Argentina on Friday to avenge the country’s defeat in the last World Cup final. The rivalry was recently fueled by a video showing Argentine players shouting racist chants at French players.
But the triumph, thanks to a fifth-minute goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta, was overshadowed by a French celebration in front of Argentine players a few minutes after the final whistle, leading to a brief melee that saw Millot shown a red card.
“I don’t agree with what happened in the end,” Henry told Argentine broadcaster TyC Sports.
“I apologize for the last disruption. It was not what I wanted and I could not control it.”
Both sets of players clashed after France beat Argentina 1-0 in Bordeaux
‘One of my players got a red card and I don’t accept that, that can’t happen. I wanted to shake (Argentine coach Javier) Mascherano’s hand and when I turned around, it was over.’
Regardless of the problems, Henry praised his Argentine colleague Mascherano after a thrilling match in which the South Americans chased an equaliser but were ultimately held back by the French defence.
“We tried to play between the lines, but it was very difficult,” said the former France international.
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‘Argentina had possession and we were playing on the counter. The goal came quickly, I don’t want to say that we were scared, but we had to wait longer. That’s not so easy.’
France play Egypt on Monday for a place in the final in an attempt to win their first Olympic gold medal in football in 40 years.