The United States saw its medal hopes extinguished by mighty Morocco on Friday as the 2024 Paris Olympics men's soccer quarterfinals started with a four-goal affair at the Parc des Princes.
Morocco will next test tournament favorites Spain, who fired past Japan through a brace from Barcelona star Fermin Lopez in a match that was far closer than its 3-0 score line and featured a stunning and close offside call by VAR.
France outlasted Argentina thanks to a fifth-minute connection of Crystal Palace stars, and Egypt needed penalties to defy Paraguay's challenge and reach the semifinals.
Men's soccer semifinal fixtures
All times ET
Monday, Aug. 5
Morocco vs Spain: 12 p.m.
Egypt vs France: 3 p.m.
Morocco vs. USA
The dream of winning a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics is over for the U.S. men’s soccer team following a 4-0 defeat to Morocco on Friday at the Parc des Princes.
It was a day to forget for Walker Zimmerman and company as the team could not overcome Morocco’s possession and attack throughout the match.
Fouling in the box, failure to press the ball, and a lack of defensive organization all proved to be key mistakes for the Americans in its loss. -- Leo Santos
Japan vs Spain
Two moments of pure class from Barcelona striker Fermin Lopez led Spain to a 2-0 win over Japan at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais on Friday, sealing a place in the semifinal round of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Fellow Barca product Abel Ruiz snapped home a loose ball off a second-half corner kick to complete the scoring in a game that saw Japan hit the woodwork twice after seeing a goal controversially overruled by VAR.
Spain led 1-0 when Mao Hosaya bodied mark Pau Cubarsi to win the ball, spun and fired home for an apparent equalizer. Almost 100% of Hosaya was further from goal than Cubarsi, who was marking him from behind, but VAR spotted part of Hosaya's ankle closer to goal than Cubarsi.
Lopez scored in each half, his first goal pretty and his second sensational. Lopez chested down a cross and snapped the outside of his right foot through the ball to send it spinning past keeper Leo Kokubo. -- Nick Mendola
Egypt vs. Paraguay
After 120 minutes, Egypt outlasted Paraguay in a penalty shootout that ended 5-4.
In regulation, Egypt had more of the possession but both teams registered more than 10 shots. Paraguay got on the scoresheet first thanks to a well-taken strike from Inter Miami midfielder Diego Gomez in the 71st minute. The South Americans only needed about 20 minutes to hang on to its one-goal lead, but Egypt added a touch of drama to the match after Ibrahim Adel got on to the end of a cross from Zizo and headered the ball past Paraguay goalkeeper Gatito Fernandez.
The match remained tied 1-1 in regulation as each team couldn't create a clear-cut chance in extra time.
The intense match then transitioned over to a penalty shootout. Egypt was able to score all five of its penalty kicks, while Marcelo Perez's missed penalty — and the only missed one in the shootout — proved to be costly for Paraguay.
Egypt will now play France in the semifinals, while Paraguay is eliminated from the 2024 Paris Olympics. -- Leo Santos
France vs Argentina
France's Crystal Palace connection was enough to lift Thierry Henry's men past heated rivals Argentina 1-0 and into the 2024 Paris Olympics semifinal round.
Michael Olise fizzed a fifth-minute corner kick toward the penalty spot, and Jean-Philippe Mateta darted to the front post to put a header inside the goal and send the Matmut Atlantique into early glory.
After a few close bids to make it 2-0, France needed help at the other end. Goalkeeper Guillaume Restes took to the air to make an outstretched save on a solid Ezequiel Fernandez effort from outside the 18.
France thought it had a two-goal lead when Maghnes Akliouche set up Olise for a deflected finish, but VAR spotted a foul on Akliouche in the build-up.
Argentina missed myriad chances to get a goal over the 90 minutes, and boss Javier Mascherano saw Giuliano Simeone, Nicolas Gondou and Julian Alvarez get into dangerous positions and fail to convert their opportunities.
France won gold on U.S. soil in 1984 but has been awaiting its return to the podium with just two appearances out of UEFA's deep qualifying field (1996, 2020).