Japan and Spain are locked in a fierce battle in the last eight of the Olympic men's soccer tournament. Looking back at the last quarterfinals, the two sides drew 0-0 in regulation time, with Spain advancing on an overtime goal to make it 1-0, but Japan has been on a tear this year, winning three consecutive matches and shutting out their opponents, showing unprecedented strength. I'm confident that they'll be able to do it again. Against the historically dominant Bullfighters, Japan is the underdog, but they still have a chance to win the game by handicap.
Even though Japan is an Asian team, it has shown itself to be on par with European powerhouses on the international stage in recent years, as evidenced by defeating Germany and Spain in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. This year's Olympic team is dominated by players under the age of 23, but the hustle and bustle of Japan's youngsters has been amazing. They won all three of their group games, scoring seven goals, four of them by players with a varied attack. What's even more rare is that they were able to maintain stability on the defensive end, with zero goals conceded in three matches, which is perfect on both the offensive and defensive ends. When we meet Spain again this time, we are eager to avenge the loss of three years ago, and must meet the challenge with full of fighting spirit.
As for Spain, the previous Olympic silver medalists, they advanced to this year's tournament as second in their group with a narrow 2-1 win. Despite having locked up a spot in the last eight early in the first and second group games, they ultimately lost to Egypt. I believe they are still expected to dominate in this matchup. However, in the knockout stage, we always go head-to-head when it's a matter of life and death. Spain is not expected to be too aggressive and it will not be easy to beat Japan in 90 minutes. In this case, the Japan Men's Olympic Soccer Team's Handicap is more attractive.
