the French blind football team wins the first gold medal in its history – Libération

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It was sold to us as a match between David and Goliath. In the role of David, they, the players of the French blind football team, outsiders in this final of the Paralympic Games as they have been since the start of the competition. And in that of Goliath, Argentina and its professional group, four times on the podium of the Games in five editions, reigning world champion and defeater of the great Brazil in the semi-finals. So much for the paper. And then there is the reality on the ground. This Saturday evening, under the Eiffel Tower, we saw neither David nor Goliath, but a close match between two teams at a similar level. And in the end, it was the French team which won on penalties (3-2).

Before taking our seats in the stands, obviously, with football on the menu and France-Argentina, we had imagined a rough, bitter, tense game. And spectacular too. If there was tension at kick-off, the bad gestures and trickery remained in the locker room. The speaker ensured that the Paralympic spirit also remained in the stands. To the chauvinistic spectators who were tempted to whistle an intervention that was a little too forceful or a whistle that went in the direction of the blue sky and white, the man at the microphone blurted out: “No, no, no. Here we are not against, we are for. We encourage France, we play fair until the end of the match.”

Maradona’s rise

For the show, we had to wait around ten minutes of play. Then, it blew up twice. It was first Frédéric Villeroux who lit the fuse. The captain of the Blues offers a Maradonaesque comeback, from his penalty area to the opposing goal. A hook to the right, then to the left, to eliminate the defenders, a left strike off balance and low to the ground, and the French team leads 1-0. The Argentines, ultra-serene defensively, had not conceded a goal since the start of the tournament, which is an incredible feat. The second firecracker arrived seven seconds later. Argentina engages with a big shift – a tactic which it used and abused throughout the match. The ball drags in front of Alessandro Bartolomucci, the Blues goalkeeper. An Argentinian foot passes by and we are back at the starting point (1-1).

What follows is more unbalanced. Toussaint Akpweh’s men spent more time behind than in front, holding out against repeated assaults from the Argentines. Imperial on his line as since the start of the competition, Alessandro Bartolomucci saves his team more than once. The match goes to penalties. A final between France and Argentina which is played out on penalties, like a feeling of déjà vu.

A bit of the Eiffel Tower around your neck

Arriving there, we had some data for an equation with one unknown: that of the final winner. On the other hand, as we have already said, the Blues have an excellent goalkeeper, who played up to national 3 (fifth division) among the able-bodied – quite useful. On the other hand, Argentina is solid in the exercise: it has already won on penalties against Brazil. She also beat the French team on penalties in June at the Schiltigheim Grand Prix.

Full center, small right net, returning bar, the first four shooters all miss. The third Argentinian lights on the right, right in the hands of Bartolomucci who had anticipated everything. Then, it’s Villeroux, 41 years old, the one who has carried these Blues so much since the start of the tournament who presents himself six meters away. In dead silence, he takes two small steps forward. And taps with the inside of his foot with finesse, at ground level, along the left post. The Argentinian goalkeeper is too short, the stadium explodes, the stands tremble: the Blues are Paralympic champions at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. It’s been a week since the great lady looked down on them. This Saturday evening, they left with a piece of gold around their necks.