In Group B, Argentina's predicament brought its own troubles. Facing Argentina, Morocco, Ukraine and Iraq, Argentina seemed to have the upper hand. However, after winning the 2024 Copa America, the Argentine Olympic team led by Alvarez suffered a setback: 2 losses to Morocco in the first match and a 3-1 defeat to Iraq in the second round to stabilize their position.
Argentina is eager to clear the air in the final round of Group B. With France leading Group A, Argentina has a choice. If they could beat Ukraine, Argentina was expected to finish first in the group on goal difference, avoiding France. In the end, Argentina won 2-0, and Morocco beat Iraq 3-0, both teams have the same number of points, goal difference and goals scored, but Argentina is second in the group due to the inferiority of mutual records. Facing France, Argentina's challenge is very different from that of the United States.
Rumors of Alvarez's €90 million-worth transfer are abuzz, and he has made it clear that he wants to leave City without scoring in his three group-start appearances, unwilling to be Harland's understudy. City have also said that if they receive the right offer, releasing him is something they can consider.
In Group C, Spain's path to the title is challenging. Grouped with Egypt, Uzbekistan, and the Dominican Republic, the Spanish Olympic team naturally aspires to the 2024 Olympic men's soccer title. However, with Barcelona's young players as the base and a lack of strong overage players, do they really have what it takes to win the title?
Spain's 2-3 loss to Uzbekistan and 1-1 draw with the Dominican Republic were victorious but lacked dominance and conviction. A draw against Egypt in the final round would have locked up the top spot in the group and advanced to the quarterfinals to avoid Japan. However, Spain, who started the final round worth 170 million euros, were at a disadvantage on the field and eventually lost 1-2, putting their second place in the group in jeopardy.
For the first time in the history of the World Cup in 122 years, Spain lost 2-3 to Japan, giving Japan first place in the group and themselves second place. This not only squeezed out Germany, but also avoided second place in Group F, Croatia. However, Morocco were surprisingly eliminated on penalties.
The Spanish national Olympics, who are aiming to win the title this time around, are likely to be knocked out of the tournament at the knockout stage.
In Group D, Japan showed potential to win the title. Facing Paraguay, Mali and Israel, Japan's national Olympics went all the way through, beating Paraguay 5-0 and Mali and Israel 1-0. Japan's situation was similar to that of France. Before the final round of matches, it was already known that Spain was the second in Group C. Japan never wanted to avoid it, nor could they. The only way to finish second in the group was to net 9 goals against Israel.
Next up in the quarterfinals, France vs Argentina, Egypt vs Paraguay, Morocco vs USA, and Japan vs Spain.
This outcome is perhaps what fans are most excited to see.
Despite the lack of overage players in the Japanese Olympics, these youngsters are strong and full of enterprising spirit. Spain, I'm afraid, is no match for Japan, and Spain is really just a club substitute. After reaching the final, the title will naturally go to the winner.
Japan's national team coach Boichi Mori said, "Although the Japanese Football Association aims to win the World Cup in 2050, it shouldn't be that late." The statement was a stunning one.
The Japanese national Olympics have more hope of winning the Olympic title than the Japanese adult national team.
Quarterfinals for the men's soccer team:
August 2, 21:00 - USA vs. Morocco
August 2, 23:00 - Japan vs Spain
August 3, 1:00 - Egypt vs Paraguay
August 3, 3:00 - Argentina vs. France
