Spain's defeat at the Games with only one FC Barcelona player on the pitch

With a very alternative XI, without the presence of FC Barcelona players, Spain ended up giving up first place in its group at the Olympic Games. The Spanish team fell in the third and final match of the group stage of Paris 2024, being beaten by Egypt (1-2) in a match for which Santi Denia completely changed his starting eleven and ultimately it was not the best move.

Egypt goes to the quarterfinals as leader and Spain, barring a major surprise in group D, will face Japan on Friday, August 2 at 5:00 p.m., a team that has shown a very solid image so far in the Olympic Games. Therefore, the path to medals for the Spanish team is complicated although, yes, it would avoid France until a hypothetical final.

It was not the best day for Spain, which was very far from its best version at the Bordeaux stadium. In a very unspectacular first half, the Spanish team almost took the lead on the scoreboard with a shot from Marc Pubill. The ball, however, crashed against the post, but it ended up being a mirage in the Spanish game, which little by little allowed Egypt to enter the match.

The magic of Fermín was not sufficient for the Spanish team

This was confirmed when a solid shot from Adel found its way into Iturbe's goal. Spain had not expected to concede a goal and had a hard time recovering. So much so that in the second half, when Fermin Lopez came on, the game improved noticeably, although Egypt continued to dominate and extended their lead on the scoreboard. The second goal came from a mistake by Pacheco in a back pass. Adel, again, scored the 0-2.

The Olympic Red managed to close the gap in the 89th minute through Samu Omorodion. The Atletico Madrid player headed a well-balanced pass from Camello perfectly, but it ended up being insufficient. Fermin, together with Sergio Gomez, tried to get Spain back on track, but it was not enough. The Barça youth player had 27 good minutes, moving all over the field, although without being able to shoot at goal, the great virtue of his game. Pau Cubarsí and Eric García, meanwhile, remained on the bench and will arrive fully rested for the quarterfinals.