France beat Italy 45-41 to enter the gold medal match of the Olympic men's sabre team event on Sunday to meet with the United States, which edged out Russia in a disputed bout.

Frenchman Boris Sanson, hero of the match, contributed 18 points to the team.

In another semifinal, Russia and the United States ended the match at 45-43. However, US player Keeth Smart pleaded with the referee who later ruled Russian fencer Stanislav Pozdnyakov's last hit ineffective.

The match restarted at 43-44, and the two players hit each other almost simultaneously this time. The scoring lights flashed for both sides, and the referee ruled it 44-44. Smart made the last fight and sent the United States to the final.

(Xinhua News Agency August 17, 2008)