With the victory of the Blues against Argentina, “we tell ourselves that we can go all the way”, believes Bixente Lizarazu

The 1998 world champion and Radio France consultant hailed the success of the French Olympic team against their Argentinian rivals on Friday evening in the quarter-finals (1-0).

It was a final before the letter, in a boiling atmosphere in Bordeaux. The French Olympic team eliminated Argentina in the quarter-finals of the men’s Olympic tournament (1-0), Friday, August 2, after an electric end to the match. Bixente Lizarazu, consultant for Radio France, applauded this victory on the airwaves of franceinfo, Saturday, and now foresees a medal for Thierry Henry’s men.

“It’s a marker, it gives confidence, at one point there is a victory that makes us say to ourselves that we can go all the way. Eliminating Argentina is not neutral, it’s a team that makes you lose your cool. The French knew how to resist and impose themselves”analyses the former full-back, world champion in 1998 with the Blues.

The end of the match was marked by scuffles between the French and the Argentinians on the pitch and in the tunnel leading to the changing rooms. “The Argentines were frustrated and lost their temper because they were being teased (at the end of the meeting by the French). But they are used to teasing, we are not going to apologize for that.”says Bixente Lizarazu.

The match was played in a climate of extreme tension, after the racist chants sung by Argentinian players against the French team on the sidelines of the Copa América. After Friday night’s match, several French players were once again victims of racist and hateful messages on their social networks, many of them from Argentinian supporters.

The former Bayern Munich full-back also praised the work of the Olympique Bleus coach, Thierry Henry. “It’s remarkable in the context, Thierry (Henry) had a lot of refusals from clubs and he couldn’t get the best players. It’s a bit of a tinkering as the competition goes on on a purely tactical level, but he brought a state of mindappreciates Bixente Lizarazu. Thierry (Henry) has managed to build a real team spirit, which is very positive for the rest of the competition.”

The Blues are therefore, adds the former Blues player, “One game away from the final and the Olympic medal, it’s super exciting. Motivation is easy to find when it’s to play in an Olympic final and bring gold to France.”