Sensation in the Paralympic blind football tournament: Record winner Brazil lost in the semifinals against Argentina in a dramatic penalty shootout on Thursday (05.09.2024). In the second semifinal, the French hosts beat Colombia 1-0.
In the second minute, Argentina had the first chance of the match against Brazil. A free kick from Maximiliano Espinillo in a promising position missed the target. The favored Brazilians now tried to take control. The game increasingly took place in the Argentinian half, but without any success. The Argentinians held up well to the Brazilian pressure. The score was 0:0 at halftime.
Argentina is keeping up well
In the second period, the Argentinians took the initiative. Osvaldo Fernandez was fouled in a promising position. The resulting free kick, however, brought nothing. For a long time, not much happened, neither team was able to gain a clear advantage, before Brazil was also awarded a free kick three and a half minutes before the end. Argentina goalkeeper German Müleck scraped Ricardi Steinmetz Alves’ ball off the line at the last second.
Penalty shootout must bring the decision
Shortly before the end, Maximiliano Espinillo missed Argentina’s last chance to decide the game early. The penalty shootout had to decide the outcome. After three of the five shooters scored, Osvaldo Fernandez put Argentina in the lead. Then Ricardo Steinmetz Alves missed for Brazil.
This is the first time in Paralympic blind football history that Brazil has not reached the final. Since the sport’s premiere at the 2004 Games in Athens, the best blind ball magicians have always come from the Sugarloaf Mountain.
France reaches final
In an evenly matched first half between hosts France and Colombia, the South Americans had their first chance of the match after eight minutes. Juan Perez Quintero’s shot went wide of the goal on the right. A short time later, a Colombian free kick from Gonzalez Hernandez also narrowly missed the French goal. The first chance for the hosts fell to Ahmed Tidiane Diakite, also from a free kick. His shot also missed the target. Jhohan Daria Ardila Cardenas in the Colombian goal and Alessandro Bartolomucci in the French goal made strong saves to keep the score 0-0 at halftime.
In the second half, the two goalkeepers were once again the focus of attention. Bartolomucci saved at the last second against Hernandez and shortly afterwards against Quintero. Ardila Cardenas also kept the Colombians in the game before Frederic Villeroux scored the only goal of the match 4:04 minutes before the end of the game. With the 1-0 victory, France is in the final for the first time.
France has the chance to win the blind football tournament in Paris.
German national team not participating after finishing eleventh at World Cup
The German blind footballers missed out on a ticket to the Paralympics at the 2023 World Cup in Birmingham. The team of national coach Martin Mania got into a difficult group and failed to make it to the quarter-finals after defeats against world number one Argentina and China. Both also contested the final. Germany ended up in eleventh place at the World Cup.
