Olympics 2024: Fermin takes management of Spain on the way in which to the semi-finals | Paris 2024 Olympics | EUROtoday

A fantastic efficiency by Fermin Lopez propelled Spain to the semi-finals of the Olympic match. He scored two objectives and dominated with huge authority in a outstanding second half for the crew. His affect was decisive in all the nice issues that Santi Denia's crew did. He opened the hole in a primary half through which La Rojita was in decline and cooked up the clear progress after the break. Spain's most lucid minutes in its itinerant life in France have been illuminated by the Barça participant, certainly one of solely two gamers (together with Alex Baena) who’ve performed the Euro Cup and the Games twice. A secondary participant within the European title in Germany, the Andalusian is asking for his flip within the Olympics to attain the double.

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Leo Kokubo, Seiji Kimura, Ayumu Ohata, Hiroki Sekine, Kota Takai, Joel Chima Fujita, Rihito Yamamoto (Ryotaro Araki, min. 83), Shunsuke Mito (Asahi Uenaka, min. 73), Mao Hosoya, Fuki Yamada (Shota Fujio, min. 45) and Koki Saito (Kein Sato, min. 66)

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Arnau Tenas, Marc Pubill, Juan Miranda, Pau Cubarsí, Eric García, Álex Baena (Adrián Bernabé, min. 69), Aimar Oroz (Beñat Turrientes, min. 83), Pablo Barrios, Fermín López (Diego López, min. 83) , Sergio Gómez (Miguel Gutiérrez, min. 88) and Abel Ruiz (Samu Omorodion, min. 88)

Goals
0-1 min. 10: Fermín López. 0-2 min. 72: Fermín López. 0-3 min. 85: Abel Ruiz

Referee Dahane Beida

Yellow playing cards

Eric Garcia (min. 0), Alex Baena (min. 51), Rihito Yamamoto (min. 70), Fermin Lopez (min. 77)

The subsequent cease on Spain's journey is Marseille, the place they are going to face Achraf Hakimi's Morocco on Monday at 18:00 (TVE and Eurosport), who beat the United States 4-0 on Friday. After the silver medal in Tokyo three years in the past, the ultimate can be within the Velodrome. There is little question that Spain would be the clear guests within the stands.

Santi Denia will not be a kind of coaches who goes off observe. Since his debut 9 days in the past in Paris towards Uzbekistan, he made clear what his beginning eleven was and he has not deviated from that within the decisive matches. Fermín will not be lacking from that fundamental menu.

Spain confirmed up in Lyon as decided as they have been sparse. The Barça participant's highly effective left-footed shot from outdoors the realm capped the nice begin of a promising crew that got here out to press and assault. That occurred within the eleventh minute, however that was the tip of the crew's greatest begin. The good concepts step by step evaporated in a scorching stadium (there was a hydration break midway by means of the primary half) and chilly within the stands, with a big a part of the amphitheater empty.

Goal disallowed

With the benefit, Santi Denia's crew went from taking part in to managing the match, as if victory have been a matter of time. The tempo dropped, the verticality disappeared and Japan fortunately accepted the brand new situation to go on prime of the Rojita. Yamamoto took benefit of the open area he discovered on the correct flank and shortly after Hosoya scored on the half-turn towards a Cubarsi missing in forcefulness. It was the equaliser, aside from the VAR, which detected a complicated phalanx of the Asian foot in an motion through which it was troublesome to see the benefit he might have taken. He obtained the ball together with his again turned, tried to occupy as a lot area as doable together with his physique towards the defence behind the Barça participant and in that manoeuvre half of his foot was caught within the microscope of the video referee.

The referee's pardon didn’t, nonetheless, conceal Spain's decline because the minutes handed. It was a hypotense, sluggish crew, missing depth or management within the centre and with its attackers out of focus. A header towards the publish in stoppage time by Mito, with a shot that was a bit angled and with Arnau Tenas defending the woodwork, confirmed the crew's difficulties. The flashes of brilliance in a sleek begin had given option to a blackout.

The sentence of Arnau Tenas

The mild was turned on by Fermin, and shortly. After the break, it was his second within the match and within the match. His exercise throughout the whole attacking entrance symbolised the intention to amend the scenario of a squad that wakened in time from the lethargy into which it had fallen. Everything revolved across the culé, who gave a warning with one other nice left-footed shot from the sting of the field. He shot together with his proper, together with his left, linked together with his teammates and launched nutmegs on the opponent. The Andalusian grew to become the proprietor of the pitch and, in his wake, Spain recovered its pulse and vitality. A crew with extra spirit that needed to take the match by the chest and never let it go. The footsteps of Aimar Oroz have been additionally discovered once more.

In a setting with more room, Japan launched themselves into the open subject. A rebelliousness that, in fact, was reduce quick by Fermin. He obtained a nook on the sting of the field and scored a three-finger right-footed shot that resulted in a categorical purpose. The hyperlink to a private efficiency of weight to open the way in which after which revive his crew.

Tenas nonetheless wanted affirmation, profitable a one-on-one with Hosuya, who stole the ball from Eric García after a cross that might have been improved by Pablo Barrios. Abel Ruiz caught an Asian defensive error to shut the afternoon earlier than Takai headed the ball into the crossbar. The epilogue of a day session produced, directed and packaged by Fermín López.

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