Olympics Recap: France Beat Guinea, Reach Quarterfinals
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France secured their second group stage win at the 2024 Summer Olympics, defeating Guinea 1-0 on Saturday night at Allianz Riviera, and with this victory, Les Bleus qualified for the quarterfinals.
Thierry Henry went with Toulouse's Guillaume Restes as the goalkeeper with Stade Rennais' Adrien Truffert starting in defense. In the midfield, Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche and Montpellier's Joris Chotard were in the starting 11 for Henry while Olympique Lyonnais' Alexandre Lacazette was part of the forward group.
Guinea also counted on a couple of Ligue 1 players as Stade de Reims' Soumaïla Sylla was their goalkeeper, and in defense, AJ Auxerre's Madiou Keita was named a starter for manager Kaba Diawara. In the midfield were OGC Nice's Aliou Baldé, Le Havre's Abdoulaye Touré, and Rennes' Amadou Diallo.
France and Guinea played to a scoreless first half with Les Bleus generating seven total shots while the Syli National also had seven total shots and one point scored in the added time period. Touré scored right before halftime to give Guinea a 1-0 lead, but after a VAR review, the goal was waved off.
In the second half, France again generated seven shots and broke the scoreless deadlock courtesy of a goal from SC Freiburg's Kiliann Sildillia in the 75th minute. The win now puts France on six points in Group A, with one more group stage match left for Henry and his team.
The host nation will take on New Zealand on Tuesday, hoping to wrap up the group stage with a perfect record and nine points. Meanwhile, Guinea will face the United States, aiming to end its Olympic journey with a victory.
Photo credit: VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images
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