Successful entry into the competition for Thierry Henry’s Blues, winners in the United States

In diesel mode, the French men’s football team initially disappointed on Wednesday, before making the difference in the second half with a liberating goal from Alexandre Lacazette to win 3 goals to 0.

Without Kylian Mbappé or Antoine Griezmann, but under the leadership of Thierry Henry and with Alexandre Lacazette as captain, the Blues got off to a perfect start to the Olympic football tournament on Wednesday, July 24, by winning comfortably against the United States (3-0) at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille. After a first half that was far from exciting, the situation changed after the break. Captain Lacazette broke the deadlock on the hour mark with a cross shot from outside the area (61st minute).

Also inspired from long distance, Michael Olise imitated him in stride (69th) with a preference for the curl. Finally, Loïc Badé completed the tricolor success by catapulting the ball into the net from a corner (85th). As flattering as it is, the final score does not really reflect the physiognomy of the match. Thierry Henry’s players did well. Finishing the match with no goals conceded is almost a miracle.

Goalkeeper Guillaume Restes made two decisive saves against Paxten Aaronson (39th, 63rd), the first with a reflex kick, the second at close range. When he was beaten, the uprights intervened to preserve the tricolor invincibility. A missile from Djordje Mihailovic made the crossbar vibrate (57th) and John Tolkin’s attempt (64th) was pushed back by the left post of Restes. Paradoxically, it was between these two huge American chances that Alexandre Lacazette opened the scoring, with a shot that a professional goalkeeper has to stop.

The Blues had the merit of finding the solution after 45 listless minutes which gave the impression of finding the disappointing French team from the last Euro. “We were so committed that I think we were under a bit of pressure. But we were able to turn things around, calm down and take control of the match.”appreciated Loïc Badé on France 2. 24 minutes were enough for these promising players, all born in the 2000s with the exception of the jokers Lacazette and Mateta, to score three goals and secure the biggest inaugural victory for the Blues in an Olympic tournament since the Montreal Games in 1976 (4-1 against Mexico).

The players Thierry Henry’s players did not need to force their talent to dominate this American team, which was not very ambitious and rather clumsy with the ball. Despite the happy outcome, the coach of the Blues nevertheless regretted a lack of lucidity in attack on certain actions. “IWe’re going to have to manage that, be a little more courageous. When I say courageous, I’m not talking about starting to dribble at random, but engaging, driving and seeing if we can create the gap.“The next match, Saturday against Guinea, currently last in the group after their opening defeat against New Zealand (1-2)is a golden opportunity to perfect the alchemy and take a big step towards qualifying for the quarter-finals.