Hosts France kept their Olympic flame very much alive by edging Argentina 1-0 in Bordeaux. Jean-Philippe Mateta headed Les Bleus in front after just five minutes from a Michael Olise corner. While Olise would have a strike of his own ruled out in the second half, their South American counterparts couldn’t find a leveller.
Earlier in the day, Egypt booked their place in the semi-finals following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Paraguay. Ibrahim Adel cancelled out Diego Gomez’s opener with just two minutes of normal time remaining, before going on to net the decisive kick and see the North Africans through to the last four.
Elsewhere, two sensational strikes from Fermin Lopez helped Spain earn a 3-0 victory over Japan in Lyon. Morocco, meanwhile, electrified Paris in a 4-0 win over USA that put them in the last four for the first time.
Morocco 4-0 USA
Morocco goals: Rahimi pen (29), Akhomach (63), Hakimi (70), Maouhoub pen (90+1)
Morocco dominated the opening exchanges, winning a series of corners and peppering the US goal. Their pressure paid off when Nathan Harriel caught Soufiane Rahimi and the referee pointed to the spot. Patrick Schulte guessed the right way, but Rahimi arrowed it past his despairing dive with pinpoint precision. It was the 28-year-old Casablancan’s fifth goal, and third spot-kick, of Paris 2024.
If that was expected to trigger an American response, it didn’t. The Moroccans, with Achraf Hakimi, Abde Ezzalzouli, Ilias Akhomach and Amir Richardson thrilling the crowd, continued to dominate. USA briefly got going in the second half, with Miles Robinson clipping a decent chance wide, but they were rapidly under waves of pressure. Akhomach shot just over following flashy footwork, before a supreme sliding tackle from Walker Zimmerman denied Rahimi going clean through on goal.
They would not be denied for much longer. Ezzalzouli did well to keep the ball in play down the left and cut it across goal for Akhomach to fire home, before Hakimi jogged uncontested through the midfield and found the bottom corner from just outside the box to make it three. Morocco completed an emphatic victory in stoppage time, El Mehdi Maouhoub, with Rahimi already off, dispatching a penalty. They will now face Spain in Marseille on Monday.
What they said…
“That was an incredible game, I loved it. We deserve to be here, in the semi-finals. If we continue like this we deserve more. What’s also incredible is the people, the fans. At every match, we can hear them.”
Ilias Akhomach, Morocco forward
“Now, we are emotional. Today it’s not about the performance, it’s about where we’re standing. We lost the game and it’s not easy. For everything the guys did over the last ten months, they didn’t deserve this result. I believe they deserved a better outcome.”
Marko Mitrovic, USA coach
Japan 0-3 Spain
Spain goals: Lopez (11, 73), Ruiz (86)
Spain got their first goal of the day in the 11th minute when they won the ball back deep in the Japan half and Lopez sent a left-footed laser into the net for a 1-0 lead.
The cooling break allowed the Japanese to regroup and the AFC giants began to carve out some chances of their own, including a Mao Hosoya header that rang off the post in the final moments of the half.
Spain sought to regain the momentum in the second period and landed a big blow in the 73rd minute with Lopez striking for a second time, as he chested down a corner kick and unfurled a right-footed rocket to double the lead.
Spain then capped off their triumphant day in the 86th minute when another corner bounced right to Abel Ruiz, who had the easiest of tasks to sweep the ball into the net to complete the 3-0 scoreline.
What they said…
“We’re delighted to have qualified for the next round. It was complicated against Japan, who are a disciplined team. Now it’s on to the semi-finals against Morocco.”
Juan Miranda, Spain defender
“The players did extremely well. It’s a disappointing result, but hopefully it’s a good start for the players to look forward to the next stage. We had a relatively long period of domination in the game and I would have liked to have scored all the chances we had, but that’s just the way it is.”
Go Oiwa, Japan coach
Egypt 1-1 Paraguay (5-4 PSO)
Goals
Paraguay goal: Gomez (71)
Egypt goal: Adel (88)
Egypt beat Paraguay in a dramatic penalty shootout to qualify for the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament semi-finals. Man-of-the-moment Ibrahim Adel struck the winning kick, clinching victory after goalkeeper Hamza Alaa made a superb save from Marcelo Perez.
Following an edgy opening period, the game developed a real ebb and flow in the second half and Egypt striker Osama Faisal’s sweetly struck effort was tipped to safety by Gatito Fernandez. It would be Paraguay who made the breakthrough, however, with Diego Gomez finishing clinically after Julio Enciso’s wonderful first-time through pass.
Egypt rallied after that setback and levelled late in the piece through Adel’s bullet header – his third goal of the tournament. That sent the game to extra time but, after a disjointed 30 minutes, penalties were required to settle the contest. Egypt prevailed in the shootout to spark wild celebrations among their players and staff, and despair for Paraguay. Their reward is a semi-final clash with France in Lyon on Monday.
What they said…
“We are currently writing history, focusing on achieving a medal for our Egyptian people. This has been our goal from the beginning, and we thank God that we are one step closer to that.”
Karim El Debes, Egypt defender
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