The host nation, France, will take on Argentina in the men’s Olympic football quarter-finals after securing the top position in Group A with a convincing 3-0 victory over New Zealand.
France, having won their first two matches, needed just a draw to advance to the knockout stage, but goals from captain Jean-Philippe Mateta, midfielder Désiré Doué, and forward Arnaud Kalimuendo in Marseille ensured a flawless group stage for Thierry Henry’s squad.
This sets the stage for a highly anticipated match in Bordeaux against Argentina, who secured the second spot in Group B after defeating Ukraine 2-0 in Lyon. Thiago Almada’s impressive goal right after the break helped guide Javier Mascherano’s team to victory, with Claudio Echeverri finishing things off by netting a rebound in stoppage time.
The atmosphere has been tense between the two nations since the 2022 World Cup final, where Argentina supporters directed chants at French players of African descent. Following the albiceleste‘s victory in the Copa América final in July, footage surfaced of Argentinian players repeating similar chants.
This prompted the French Football Federation to lodge a complaint with FIFA concerning “racist and discriminatory remarks.” While the investigation is still in progress, diplomatic tensions escalated, leading to a meeting between Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, and France’s leader, Emmanuel Macron, in an effort to ease the situation.
The United States secured the second position in Group A after Kevin Paredes’ brace and a stunning free-kick from Djordje Mihailovic led them to a 3-0 win against Guinea. The USMNT will now meet Group B leaders Morocco, who recorded a smooth 3-0 victory over Iraq, with striker Soufiane Rahimi scoring his fourth goal of the tournament.
In other news, Egypt topped Group C with a surprising win over a significantly altered Spain team in Bordeaux. Ibrahim Adel took advantage of shaky defending to find the back of the net in the 40th and 62nd minutes, and though Spain managed to score a consolation through Samu Omorodion’s header in the dying moments, it was too late to change the outcome.
Quick Guide
Olympic men’s football quarter-finals
Show
France v Argentina Bordeaux, 2 Aug
Egypt v Paraguay Marseille, 2 Aug
Morocco v USA Paris, 2 Aug
Japan v Spain Lyon, 2 Aug
Egypt will go up against Paraguay in the quarter-finals after Marcelo Fernández’s early goal in the fifth minute proved decisive in their match against winless Mali. Japan also finished the group stages with a perfect record, thanks to a last-minute winner from Mao Hosoya against Israel, setting the stage for a clash with Spain in Lyon during the knockout rounds.
