Argentina’s Olympic football campaign got back on track with a 3-1 victory over Iraq on Saturday, while Spain and Japan became the first teams to secure quarter-final berths.
After a chaotic opening defeat to Morocco, Argentina bounced back in Lyon with goals from Thiago Almada, Luciano Gondou, and Ezequiel Fernandez. Iraq’s Aymen Hussein had equalized in the first half, but Argentina’s second-half dominance proved too much.
In the same group, Ukraine snatched a dramatic 2-1 win over Morocco in the dying seconds, leaving all four teams level on three points.
Spain, the Tokyo silver medallists, also made it two wins from two in Group C with a 3-1 victory over the Dominican Republic. Fermin Lopez, Alex Baena, and Miguel Gutierrez scored for Spain, who are now through to the last eight.
Egypt’s 1-0 win over Uzbekistan in Nantes also helped Spain’s cause, as it eliminated the Central Asian nation.
Thierry Henry’s France team edged Guinea 1-0 in Nice, with Kiliann Sildillia’s late header proving decisive. France are not yet through from Group A, but they need only a point against New Zealand on Tuesday to guarantee progress.
Japan, the Asian Under-23 champions, secured their quarter-final berth with a 1-0 victory against Mali in Bordeaux. Rihito Yamamoto scored the only goal in the 82nd minute, despite Mali having a late penalty chance.
In Group D, Paraguay scored twice in stoppage time to beat Israel 4-2 in an entertaining game in Paris. Marcelo Fernandez scored twice for Paraguay, who are now level on points with Japan.
