Olympics: France Stay Perfect with Win vs. New Zealand

France finished undefeated in the group stage after a 3-0 win over New Zealand on Tuesday at the Stade Vélodrome. Les Bleus finished at the top of Group A with nine points and are now setting their sights on the quarterfinals of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Manager Thierry Henry went with AS Monaco duo Chrislain Matsima and Soungoutou Magassa on defense. In midfield, Henry named Stade Rennais' Désiré Doué, RC Lens' Andy Diouf, Olympique Lyonnais duo Johann Lepenant and Rayan Cherki, and Stade Brestois' Bradley Locko to his starting 11.

For France's attack, the 46-year-old tapped Stade Rennais' Arnaud Kalimuendo to team up with Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta. In the first 45 minutes of the contest, Les Bleus generated 16 total shots with Mateta opening the scoring in the 19th minute.

The offensive output continued in the second half as the host nation recorded 18 total shots and scored two goals. Doué provided the second goal in the 71st minute and Kalimuendo netted the third goal in the 74th minute to help France keep a perfect record.

New Zealand attempted nine total shots during the 90 minutes, but they couldn't break through as France also registered their third straight clean sheet.

The race for the gold medal is heating up as France prepares to take on Argentina in the knockout stages. The last time these two teams met was in the thrilling final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where Argentina emerged victorious.

Now, France will attempt to settle the score as they look to eliminate the South American side and march toward winning a gold medal on home soil.

Photo credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

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