France secured victories by 3-0 in two of their three group-stage matches.
France will face Argentina in the Olympic men’s football quarter-finals after they advanced from Group A with a decisive 3-0 victory over New Zealand. Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the opening goal in the 19th minute. Despite France’s relentless pressure, New Zealand managed to hold on until the 71st minute. Desire Doue then doubled France’s lead and Arnaud Kalimuendo added a third goal shortly afterward.
France concluded the group stage with three wins, having also defeated the United States and Guinea. The quarter-final match-up between France and Argentina has sparked recent tensions. After Argentina won the Copa America on July 14, their players sang a derogatory song about French players which led to friction. French fans reacted negatively, as evidenced by the booing of Argentina’s rugby sevens team during the Olympics.
Earlier on Tuesday, Argentina secured a 2-0 win over Ukraine in Group B. Thiago Almada scored with a stunning 25-yard strike and Claudio Echeverri added a late goal. Morocco topped Group B with a 3-0 victory over Iraq. They matched Argentina on points and goal difference but secured the top spot based on their earlier win against the South American side.
From Group A, the USA progressed to the quarter-finals alongside France after beating Guinea 3-0. They finished above New Zealand on goal difference. In Group C, Spain fell 2-1 to Egypt despite a last-minute goal from Samu Omorodion and finished as runners-up. In Group D, Japan topped the group with a perfect record after beating Israel 1-0 while Paraguay advanced as runners-up with a 1-0 victory over Mali.
The quarter-final fixtures are set for Friday, August 2:
– Morocco vs. United States at 14:00 BST in Paris
– Japan vs. Spain at 16:00 BST in Decines-Charpieu
– Egypt vs. Paraguay at 18:00 BST in Marseille
– France vs. Argentina at 20:00 BST in Bordeaux
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