Key events
90 min: Argentina substitution Claudio Echeverri comes on for Medina. And Lujan is on for Garcia.
89 min There will be loads of added time because of that incident. Argentina need to refocus; they’ve been too busy looking for trouble and have created nothing since Alvarez’s chance in the 66th minute.
NO GOAL! France 1-0 Argentina
Bordeaux has gone wild (again). Akliouche has also been booked for the challenge. It was probably the right decision but, oh I don’t know.
There’s a suggestion that Akliouche fouled a defender before knocking the ball across to Olise. Hmm, it probably is a foul but I don’t envy the referee.
85 min What’s going on here? There’s a VAR check!
Michael Olise has put France in the semi-finals, and even the coach Thierry Henry has changed down the touchline to join the celebrations. The two substitutes made it, with Kalimuendo drawing three defenders towards him before poking a pass infield to Akliouche. He beat another and squared the ball to Olise, whose shot on the turn took a slight but crucial deflection off Garcia.
This means so much to France. Henry marches back down the touchline, wild-eyed and punching his chest.
GOAL! France 2-0 Argentina (Olise 84)
Bordeaux has gone wild!
83 min Garcia is booked for a lunge at Akliouche. He’ll miss the semi-final if Argentina get there.
81 min Kalimuendo wins a corner for France, who have managed this second half pretty well. At no stage have they been under the kind of pressure they were in the 20 minutes before half-time.
79 min: Double substitution for France Maghnes Akliouche and Arnaud Kalimuendo replace Joris Chotard and Alexandre Lacazette. He’s put quite a shift in.
77 min “The referee seems awfully eager to call fouls on France,” says Joe Pearson. “I understand not wanting a ‘Battle of Bordeaux’, but he appears a little free with the calls and the cards.”
Interesting, I hadn’t really picked up on that. Talking of which, the keeper Restes has just been booked for something or other.
76 min: Argentina substitution The defender Julio Soler, who came on at half-time, has been replaced by another forward, Luciano Gondou.
75 min Bade wins a shoulder charge against Beltran, then roars in his face and beats hs chest in celebration.
72 min We should have had a sweepstake on who would get the first red card. I’ll be astonishing if there isn’t one at some stage, even if it’s after the final whistle.
69 min Olise’s shot from the edge of the area is well blocked. France are having a good spell, helped by a slight loss of focus by Argentina. They’ve been far too frantic of late, playing as if it’s the last five minutes. Their best spells in this game have all been when they have played slick, almost dispassionate football.
68 min: Just over from Mateta! Sildillia wins a corner for France, their first of the second half. And it almost leads to a repeat of the goal. Olise again curled it to the near post, where Mateta times his run perfectly away from Otamendi. This time, however, he powered a header over the bar rather than into the far corner.
67 min Mateta leaves an Argentina defender rolling round on the deck. The referee decides it was a fair challenge but then penalises Lacazette moments later.
66 min An in-form Alvarez would have taken that chance nine times out of 10. It was a cracking move too, straight through the heart of France.
66 min: Great chance for Argentina! Beltran’s first contribution is a quick angled through pass to Alvarez, who controls it immaculately on the run only to waft over from 12 yards.
64 min: Argentina substitution Lucas Beltran comes on for Kevin Zenon. Turns out Beltran was the substitute who was booked in the 55th minute, so he starts on a yellow card.
63 min: France substitution Bradley Locko replaces the limping Adrien Truffert at left-back.
60 min Fernandez makes a marvellous run into the area, only to slip as he tries to take on the last man Lukeba.
59 min Lacazette falls over in the D after a challenge from (I think) Amione. The referee waves him up, and then Lacazette squares up to Amione. Nothing comes of it but somebody is going to throw hands sooner rather than later. And nobody will like to see it when they do.
58 min After some patient play just outside the area, Alvarez curls an early shot that is too close to Restes.
57 min The match has become bitty, which suits France. But they still need to carry more of a threat when they have the ball. They’re barely bothering to attack now.
55 min Another yellow card, this time for one of the Argentina substitutes. The coach Javier Mascherano kicks off – and gets booked himself.
53 min Medina is booked for a high tackle on Lukeba.
50 min Alvarez whips the free-kick into the wall.
49 min Lacazette fouls Alvarez just outside the penalty area. This is a chance for Argentina…
49 min Argentina have picked up where they left off at the end of the first half, putting France under constant pressure.
46 min Argentina have made a half-time substitution: Julio Soler for Marco di Cesare.
“I missed the early bit, but I’m glad to hear that France were playing entertainingly; they seem to have given that up from about 15 minutes in, and let Argentina do the actual football,” says Charles Antaki. “I assume that Titi is taking on the pattern set by Didi, and keeping it close? He could do worse, of course, but it’s not always great fun to watch.”
It’s been a bit like one of England’s defeats at major tournaments before this year: fly out of the blocks, score early, threaten a second, then drift deeper and deeper.
Tonight’s winners will play Egypt in the semi-finals. They’ve just beaten Paraguay 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Marseille. Morocco v Spain is the other semi-final.
“The most painful injury I ever suffered on a football field was one I don’t even remember getting: concussion,” says Justin Kavanagh. “I woke up in an ambulance wearing a yellow shirt and blue shorts (though thankfully longer than Mr. Souness’s) and then I had to deal not only with the thumping headache but also with the slow realisation that I wasn’t Brazilian.”
If you want to follow the Olympics proper, this is the link for you.
Half time: France 1-0 Argentina
Otamendi stalks the referee as the players leave the field, then Lacazette, Mateta and Rulli all get involved. If this game ends 11 v 11, my backside’s a fire engine.
As for the actual football, France made a pulsating start and took an early lead through Mateta’s excellent header. But Argentina kept their cool, at least in possession, and slowly took control of the game. Gio Simeone missed their best chance, heading over from six yards.
45+4 min Seconds later Truffert stays down after a collision with Rulli. It was actually a good save from Rulli, who was quick off his line to dive at Truffert’s feet as the ball ran loose in the area. Truffert then landed very awkwardly.
Play continues for a bit, then the referee stops play. Rulli puts his arm round Mateta, who shoves him away; Otamendi wanders across to give Mateta a mouthful. Nobody likes to see this.
45+2 min Truffert dangles a leg at Garcia’s cross and sends the ball flying across the face of goal. For a second, because of the camera angle, it looked like a textbook own goal.
45+1 min Three minutes of added time.
45 min The referee plays a good advantage, allowing Medina (I think) to vroom into the area from the right and slide a low cross that is turned behind by Sildillia at the far post. There were no Argentina players in the six-yard box; they needed Haaland rather than Alvarez.
44 min Argentina continue to press for an equaliser. They look sharper than France, though that might just be the nature of the game – one team forcing the issue, the other happy to play on the counter.
40 min Kone will miss the semi-final if France get through; he’s been booked for a sliding foul on Medina.
39 min “My stream is fine (and no, that has nothing to do with my prostate),” begins Joe Pearson, “and that yellow on Mateta was solely a result of play-acting by the Argentina player. Went down holding his face from an arm to the chest. Ugh.”
Fancy a job?
38 min France need to get Olise in the game more; they’ve really ceded the initiative in the last 10-15 minutes and an equaliser looks increasingly likely.