It was a big day for the U.S. men's soccer team as the Yanks claimed their first Olympic knockout round appearance in 24 years by beating Guinea 3-0.
That news was celebrated in the U.S., but the group wins resonated with fans in Japan, Egypt, Morocco and, of course, hosts France.
The Yanks have only competed in two men's tournaments since their fourth-place finish in 2000, not qualifying in 2012, 2016 and 2020.
Here are the quarterfinal pairings for Friday.
All times ET
9 a.m.
Morocco vs United States
11 a.m.
Japan vs Spain
1 p.m.
Egypt vs Paraguay
3 p.m.
France vs Argentina
Spain vs Egypt
Ibrahim Adel scored twice to lead Egypt to a 2-1 win over Spain and the top spot in Group C at the 2024 Paris Olympics at the Matmut Atlantique on Tuesday.
Adel first took advantage of a crafty ball win and better dribble from Zizo, belting a central shot over Spain keeper Alejandro Iturbe and under the crossbar.
He'd make it 2-0 off a poor back pass from Spain, pushing the ball beyond the reach of the keeper in the 62nd minute.
Much-changed Spain woke up but could only find a single goal when Atletico Madrid youngster Samu Omorodion nodded home.
With the win, Egypt earned the top spot in its group and will meet Paraguay in the quarterfinal round. -- Nicholas Mendola
Dominican Republic vs Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan and the Dominican Republic played to a 1-1 draw in a matchup of two nations vying for their first-ever Olympic men's soccer victories at Parc des Princes in Paris.
After a defensive and scoreless first half, Rafael Nunez drew a crucial VAR-awared penalty on Uzbekistan's Abdukodir Khusanov in the 51st minute. He nailed his penalty to give the Dominican Republic a lead.
That advantage held for just a few minutes, however. Uzbekistan's Alisher Odilov sliced through the Dominican back line and scored a beauty to tie it up in the 58th minute. Eldor Shomurodov, Uzbekistan's all-time leading scorer, tallied an assist on the score.
Uzbekistan continued to apply all-out pressure on the Dominicans, nearly converting in the 63rd minute when Odilov came razor-close to staying onside for a second goal of the day.
With a minute left in extra time, Edgar Pujol of the Dominican Republic just missed a goal opportunity, banging a shot off the left post.
With the draw, both the Dominican Republic and Uzbekistan have bowed out of the Olympic tournament in their debuts. Egypt and Spain advanced out of Group C. -- Sam Brief
Ukraine vs. Argentina
Argentina did just enough to ensure it will be in the quarterfinal after an underwhelming 2-0 win against Ukraine.
It was a fair balance between the two teams in regards to possessions and chances created, but Argentina’s Thiago Almada proved to be the difference after his curling effort from just out of the box put his side 1-0 up in the 47th minute.
Ukraine responded well by creating chances of its own, but some solid defending from Argentina led by captain Nicolas Otamendi was enough for the South Americans to escape with all three points in its final group-stage match.
Argentina is going to face much stronger teams in the knockout rounds, and star player Julian Alvarez will hope to perform at a much higher level than he did against Ukraine to give his country a better chance to reach the gold medal final. Next up? Hosts France.
Morocco vs Iraq
Morocco thrashed Iraq with a three-goal first half on Tuesday,
Amir RIchardson, Soufiane Rahimi, and Abde Ezzalzouli scored before the game was 37 minutes old, squashing Iraq's knockout rounds hopes in a flurry of shots.
Morocco out-attempted Iraq 13-1 in the first half and was holding more than 70% possession in a dominant display. The second half was more of the same without as many shots as the group winners took their proverbial foot off the gas.
Morocco will meet the Group A runner-up United States, while Iraq is out of the tournament. -- Nicholas Mendola
USA vs. Guinea
After 24 years, the U.S. men’s soccer team will play a quarterfinal match at an Olympic Games.
The U.S. secured its spot in the knockout round following its 3-0 win — including a brace scored by winger Kevin Paredes — over Guinea in what proved to be a comfortable match for the young Americans.
It was an impressive display from the Americans who took hold of the game from the first whistle to the very last, creating more chances out of the two teams and registering 13 shots with six of them on target. The U.S. also looked confident whenever it was on the ball and made it seem like it was going to have a shot on goal every time the team went forward. Its midfield trio of Paredes, Djordje Mihailovic, and Paxten Aaronson appear to be clicking at the right time moving into a crucial stage of the tournament. -- Leo Santos
France vs New Zealand
France showed its way into the quarterfinals in impressive fashion, as the hosts delivered a complete performance in a 3-0 win over New Zealand at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, Desire Doue, and Arnaud Kalimuendo scored as the French out-attempted the Kiwis 32-8 in what could've been a bigger blowout were it not for six saves from Bournemouth keeper Alex Paulsen.
France only used star Michael Olise for 25 minutes and Loic Bade for 12 while completely resting Alexandre Lacazette and Guillaume Restes.
It's not all good news for France, as it will get a tournament favorite earlier than expected after Argentina finished second in its group and will stare down the French in Bordeaux for a quarterfinal that will be loud — there is no love lost between these rivals dating back to the 2022 World Cup Final in Lusail. -- Nick Mendola
Paraguay vs Mali
Paraguay and Mali battled out to an end-to-end thrilling match as both sides put in their best efforts to qualify for the quarterfinals. But now, it’s the hearts of Mali fans that will be broken while Paraguay supporters will be smiling with joy as the South American team defeated Mali in a tight 1-0 match.
Marcelo Fernandez’s screamer of a long-distance volley, which may very well be the goal of the tournament, in the fifth minute proved to be the difference between the two sides. The Paraguyans attempted a few more shots that could’ve also been goals of the tournaments, but they either hit the post, went just wide, or Mali goalkeeper Lassine Diarra was able to parry them away.
The match was filled with action and drama and had a scoreline of 12-9 written all over it, as suggests the number of shots taken by each team (12 for Paraguay and nine for Mali).
But in the end, Paraguay did just enough to advance to the quarterfinals and will play against Egypt at 1 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 2. Mali, on the other hand, has concluded its time at the Paris Olympics. -- Leo Santos
Israel vs Japan
Japan will be feeling like a team of fortune after Mao Hosoya snapped home a stoppage-time winner to secure a perfect group stage and the top spot coming out of Group D.
Kein Sato set up Hosoya for the winner in a game that saw both sides take 12 shots but neither really threaten the goal too often.
Japan has an intense quarterfinal foe in Spain, but will know that it landed on the right side of the bracket to reach the gold medal match.