The Spain men's national football team began its journey at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a 1-2 victory over Uzbekistan in a match that remained open until the end.

Since July 1st, the first day of training camp before Paris 2024, coach Santi Denia warned his players that Uzbekistan, although not well-known in football, was a dangerous opponent in the most crucial match—the one that opens a short football competition with only two days of rest between games.

These warnings quickly proved to be accurate on the pitch of the Parc des Princes, where the Uzbek team came out with more energy, pressing high on Spain's ball exit and contesting possession.

A "team," as Santi Denia described them beforehand, that kept Spain on the ropes throughout the match.

A Spanish Olympic team lacking ideas, with Pablo Barrios unsupported in the midfield, defenders making errors with the ball at their feet, soft, something that cost them before halftime.

However, before that, in the 29th minute, Spain took the lead from a set-piece that didn't require them to be playing well to cause damage. Sergio Gómez and Abel Ruiz, who have been playing together in Spain's youth teams since 2016, combined on a lateral free-kick. Sergio crossed, Abel flicked on at the near post, and Marc Pubill arrived at the back post to make it 1-0.

A goal that gave some relief to a Spain that couldn’t dominate the game and ended up paying for it with an indecisive clearance inside the box that resulted in a penalty by Pau Cubarsí on Muhammadkodir Hamraliev, who went down with no chance of playing the ball.

The penalty was awarded after review on the screen by Mauritanian referee Beida Dahane, and the Uzbek captain Eldor Shomurodov converted it in the added time of the first half, to the delight of his country's fans who livened up the match with chants and drums.

A penalty spot that didn’t favor Spain at the Parc des Princes. In the same goal, in the second half, Sergio Gómez had a penalty chance to put Spain ahead again, but goalkeeper Abduvakhid Nematov saved the Spaniard’s central shot with his right foot.

In the 59th minute, Spain missed an opportunity which was redeemed three minutes later by Sergio Gómez, who took advantage of a low cross from Juan Miranda to score the 2-1 from a meter behind the penalty spot with the ball in motion.

With half an hour of the match remaining, Uzbekistan did not lose faith and prevented Spain from controlling the game with the ball. Moreover, it was the Uzbeks who posed more threats to the goal of Arnau Tenas, who, although not having to make spectacular saves in his home stadium, as he is a player of Paris Saint-Germain, lived the anxiety of the scoreline firsthand.

However, Spain managed to withstand Uzbekistan's attacks, especially from lateral crosses, until the end, including a review of a possible penalty that kept Santi Denia's side on edge for two of the eight added minutes.

A struggle until the end to secure three valuable points to start a tournament in which Santi Denia's team realized from the first moment how hard it will be to surpass the silver medal achieved in Tokyo 2020.