The United States men’s soccer team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Olympic men’s soccer tournament for the first time since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, defeating Guinea 3-0 on Tuesday in Saint-Etienne. Kevin Paredes scored two goals in the match, contributing significantly to the victory.
The win ended a 24-year wait for the U.S. to reach the knockout stage, and they are set to face Morocco in the quarterfinals in Paris on Friday. The Americans secured their spot in the knockout phase by finishing second in Group A, behind group winners France, who also achieved a 3-0 victory over New Zealand.
Djordje Mihailovic opened the scoring for the U.S. with a first-half goal, followed by Paredes’ first goal. Paredes later sealed the win with his second goal after the halftime break.
In another match, Argentina secured its place in the knockout stage with a 2-0 victory over Ukraine, thanks to a stunning solo effort from Thiago Almada two minutes into the second half in Lyon. Almada’s long-range strike set the pace for Argentina, who rebounded from an earlier shock defeat to Morocco. Claudio Echeverri added a second goal in the 91st minute.
Morocco topped Group B after a 3-0 victory over Iraq, advancing alongside Argentina. Both teams ended up with equal points, goal difference, and goals scored, but Morocco’s earlier win against Argentina gave them the top spot in the group. In the match against Iraq, Amir Richardson opened the scoring in the 19th minute, followed by a goal from Soufiane Rahimi in the 28th, and Abde Ezzalzouli made it 3-0 in the 36th minute.
Egypt also advanced to the quarterfinals by finishing atop Group C with a 2-1 win over Spain on Tuesday. Ibrahim Adel scored both goals for Egypt, with his first coming from a cross by Zizo late in the first half, and his second in the 62nd minute after evading Spanish goalkeeper Alejandro Iturbe. Samu Omorodion scored a late goal for Spain, but it was not enough to secure a comeback.
In another Group C match, the Dominican Republic played Uzbekistan to a 1-1 draw, which was not enough for them to advance as they were already eliminated.
The quarterfinal matchups will be finalized following Wednesday’s games, with the top two teams from each of the four groups moving on to the next round.
