Hosts France will face Argentina in the Olympic men’s football quarter-finals after securing their spot in the last eight by defeating New Zealand and topping Group A.
Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta opened the scoring for a dominant France, who registered an impressive 34 shots compared to New Zealand’s nine.
Mateta scored in the 19th minute, and New Zealand soon found themselves under relentless pressure as the hosts sought to extend their lead.
The Kiwis held out until the 71st minute, but their defense eventually gave way as Desire Doue scored from close range. Three minutes later, Arnaud Kalimuendo added another with a near-post drive.
France concluded the group stage with victories in all three of their games, following wins over the United States and Guinea.
There has been recent tension between France and their quarter-final opponents due to an incident where Argentinian players were filmed singing a derogatory song about France’s black players after winning the Copa America on 14 July.
At the Olympics, Argentina’s rugby sevens players were booed in each of their games, with French fans expressing their displeasure over the Argentine footballers’ behavior.
Quarter-final line-up takes shape
Earlier on Tuesday, a stunning strike by Thiago Almada helped Argentina secure a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Group B. Almada charged through the Ukraine defense before curling a shot from about 25 yards out, and Claudio Echeverri added a late tap-in.
Despite Argentina’s win, Morocco topped Group B after a 3-0 victory against Iraq. Morocco and Argentina finished level on points and goal difference, but Morocco’s win over Argentina in their opening game gave them the edge.
The USA progressed from Group A alongside France, advancing on goal difference after a 3-0 win against Guinea. These final-day results placed them above New Zealand in the standings.
In other matches, Spain suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Egypt, finishing as runners-up in Group C. Egypt leapfrogged Spain to go top, with Ibrahim Adel scoring twice before Samu Omorodion pulled one back for Spain in the final minute of normal time.
Japan topped Group D with a perfect record after Moa Hosoya scored an injury-time goal to secure a 1-0 win against Israel. Paraguay progressed as Group D’s runners-up following their 1-0 victory over Mali, ending the group stage three points behind Japan.
Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic and Uzbekistan, both failing to progress, drew 1-1.
Quarter-final fixtures
Friday, 2 August:
14:00: Morocco v United States, Paris
16:00: Japan v Spain, Decines-Charpieu
18:00: Egypt v Paraguay, Marseille
20:00: France v Argentina, Bordeaux