Sports fans were served up a delicious appetizer two days ahead of the Opening Ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics as the men’s soccer tournament kicked off Wednesday morning.
Multiple matches were played across France as some teams earned a dream start to their Olympic campaigns, while others left work to be done.
Take a look at the results from Matchday 1 of the men’s tournament and what it means for each team moving forward.
Uzbekistan vs. Spain
Perhaps no footballing country in the world is hotter right now than Spain, which has won the Women’s World Cup and Men’s Euros within the last 12 months. The Spanish entered Paris with a chance to add two more titles to their already impressive collection, and the men got their journey started with a 2-1 win against Uzbekistan. However, it did not come easy for the Spaniards, as some may have expected. The Uzbeks were far from fearful of their superior opponent and came at them early. Spain had an answer as it threw the first punch when Marc Pubill scored off a free kick on Spain’s first real chance of the game, also marking the first men's soccer goal of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The win puts the Spaniards in a good position to advance from Group C, while the Uzbeks will need to find results against Egypt and the Dominican Republic to secure a surprise advancement to the knockout phase.
Argentina vs. Morocco
Argentina may have thought they escaped the match with a draw, but after an hour-long VAR check, the South Americans had their stoppage-time equalizer ruled out and suffered a 2-1 defeat to Morocco.
In the opening match of Group B, Argentina, headlined by Manchester City's Julian Alvarez, failed to create many clear-cut chances throughout the match. In the last half hour, the Argentines upped the tempo and found the back of the net on one occasion, but it was not enough to overcome Morocco's two-goal lead. The lengthy VAR check occurred after the referee blew the whistle to signal the end of the game. When the decision was made to rule Argentina's late goal offside, both sides came back on the field to finish the match with three minutes to play. However, it was not enough time for Argentina to escape with a draw. Morocco, who were led by Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi, did just enough throughout the match to earn a victory, even after failing to capitalize on many chances.
Moving forward, Morocco and Argentina will be favorites against their Group B opponents Iraq and Ukraine. Victories for each team in their next matches will most likely seal their spot in the Round of 16.
Egypt vs. Dominican Republic
Egypt and the Dominican Republic played out a 0-0 draw in a game that saw both sides carefully finding their moments to score, but ultimately neither were able to find the back of the net.
A point for both sides puts them on a path where a victory against either Spain or Uzbekistan in Group C will most likely secure them a spot in the Round of 16.
Guinea vs. New Zealand
New Zealand withstood Guinea’s fierce attack for a 2-1 win in both teams' opening match on Wednesday. Guinea peppered Kiwi goalkeeper Alex Paulsen throughout the contest – including five shots on goal in the first half – but did not break through until the 72nd minute of the match with a 1-1 Amadou Diawara equalizer, Guinea’s first Olympic goal since 1968. Just four minutes later, New Zealand’s Ben Waine snatched the lead back with a shot to the top left corner, the eventual game-winner.
New Zealand’s group play continues with a match against the U.S. on Saturday, July 27 at 1 p.m. ET, while Guinea will play Saturday at 3 p.m. ET against host nation France. After securing three points, New Zealand will most likely need a draw to advance from Group A, while Guinea faces the challenge of getting a result from its next opponents, who are favored to go through.
Japan vs. Paraguay
Japan opened its Olympic campaign by thrashing a hopeless Paraguay side 5-0 thanks to braces from Shunsuke Mito and Shota Fujio. Japan scored one goal in the first half, and after becoming more clinical with their chances, the Asian nation went on to score another four in the second half as Paraguay had no answer to their opponent's attack.
Japan sits on top of Group D with a comfortable goal differential. A win in any of their next two games will increase their hopes of advancing, while Paraguay has its work cut out to not only gather points but also decrease its heavy negative goal differential.
Iraq vs. Ukraine
Nearly 20 years since its last soccer win in an Olympic Games, the Iraq national football team staged an epic comeback in the second half to defeat Ukraine 2-1 on the opening day of Group B play in Lyon, France. After a stout defensive battle in the first half of play, Iraqi midfielder Ali Jasim scored the go-ahead goal in the 75th minute, repeating his late-game heroics that propelled his squad to the Paris Games in the first place.
Ukraine made its Olympic soccer debut and continued its milestone run with a goal by midfielder Valentyn Rubchynskyi in the 53rd minute. Ukraine will face Morocco on Saturday, July 27, while Iraq will take on Argentina on the same day to round out Group B play.
Mali vs. Israel
Mali and Israel were forced to share the spoils after the sort of eager, physical affair you'd expect from two teams snapping long Olympic droughts. Mali is appearing in an Olympic competition for the first time since 2004, and it's the first for Israel since its quarterfinals run in 1976. After a scoreless first half short on quality chances, Israel opened its account thanks to an own goal from Malian defender Hamidou Diallo. But Les Aigles Espoirs were not to be discouraged; in fact, they found an equalizer just a few minutes later thanks to a lovely header from the middle of the box by Cheickna Doumbia.
While Japan got off to a flying start with a 5-0 victory over Paraguay, the rest of Group D appears to be wide open for either of these teams. Mali will face the Japanese in their next match, set for Saturday at the Stade de Bordeaux. Israel, meanwhile, will face Paraguay on Saturday in Paris.
France vs. USA
The U.S. men’s national team kicked off its campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a heavy 3-0 defeat to France on Wednesday in Marseille. Alexandre Lacazette, Michael Olise and Loic Bade all scored in the second half to ensure the host nation took all three points.
With a loss, the U.S. will need to get results in its next two games to have a chance of advancing to the next round, starting with New Zealand at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 27.