New Delhi: The France men’s blind football team sent Paris into euphoria by defeating Argentina 3-2 on penalties under the lights of the Eiffel Tower to claim the gold medal. In a packed and electrifying Eiffel Tower Stadium, the French squad had all it took to win over the crowd. Thousands of blue, white, and red flags waved across the stands as fans chanted “Allez Les Bleus,” setting the tone for what would be a historic night.
The first half of the match was just as lively as the crowd with both teams locked in a tight contest. However, it was French captain Frederic Villeroux who broke the deadlock in the 10th minute. Picking up the ball deep in his own half, Villeroux masterfully weaved through the Argentinean defense dragging them left and right before unleashing a powerful shot to give France a 1-0 lead. The stadium erupted, but the joy was short-lived as Argentina responded immediately. From the restart defender Froilan Padilla sent a lofted pass to striker Maximiliano Espinillo who coolly finished from close range to level the score at 1-1.
As the second half began both teams fought fiercely for control with French goalkeeper Alessandro Bartolomucci forced to make several key saves to deny Espinillo a second goal. Bartolomucci’s heroic efforts ensured the match ended 1-1 in regular time pushing the game to a nerve-wracking penalty shootout.
Argentina’s Espinillo stepped up to take the first penalty and calmly drilled it down the middle giving his team a 1-0 advantage. France’s Hakim Arezki responded with a composed shot into the right corner to equalize. Argentina’s Mario Ríos followed, narrowly beating Bartolomucci to regain the lead. Martin Baron was next for France scoring with a powerful shot that bounced in off the crossbar. The pressure was on Argentina’s Nahuel Heredia whose hard shot was spectacularly saved by Bartolomucci igniting a wave of celebration throughout the stadium.
With the shootout tied at 2-2, it came down to French captain Frederic Villeroux to take the final shot. With poise and calmness, the captain placed the ball into the left corner sealing a 3-2 victory for France and securing their first-ever Paralympic blind football gold medal.
This win marked a historic moment as France became the first nation other than Brazil to win gold in blind football since the sport’s Paralympic debut at Athens 2004, as Brazil had claimed all five previous titles. The five-time champions were beaten by Argentina in the semi-final but they won the bronze medal match against Colombia. They walked in to collect their medals and were warmly welcomed to the party.
France claimed their first Paralympic blind football gold, defeating Argentina 3-2 on penalties in a thrilling match under the Eiffel Tower. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
