The football tournament of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 is down to the semi-final stage, with hosts Japan just a couple of wins away from the gold medal.
But after surviving a penalty shootout against New Zealand, the Japanese face another major obstacle toward reaching the final as they must take on a star-studded Spain team that outlasted a spirited Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, favourites Brazil also face a dangerous foe in the form of Mexico, who delivered perhaps the most surprising result of the quarter-finals with their 6-3 thrashing of South Korea.
Read on below for SBOTOP’s preview of the two very intriguing semi-final matchups in the Olympic football tournament.
Japan vs Spain
Japan suffered a bit of scare as they needed penalties to get past a plucky New Zealand side in their quarter-final matchup. The hosts dominated proceedings as they created 21 total shots. But only six of those shots were on target as they were unable to convert their best chances on goal.
Real Madrid starlet Takefusa Kubo failed to score for the first time in the tournament, but he was still lively as ever as he finished with four shots, three of which were on target.
Japan also continued their impressive defending during the tournament. With captain Maya Yoshida organising the backline, the Japanese limited the New Zealanders to just eight total shots en route to keeping their third clean sheet in four games.
However, that defence will be put to the test against Spain’s star-studded side which scored five goals against Ivory Coast in a 5-2 quarter-final victory.
Although, the Spanish, who also underwhelmed during the group stage, were mere seconds from getting knocked out. They had to come from behind twice, including deep in stoppage time after Max Gradel had seemingly given the Ivorians a late winner.
Rafa Mir’s late equaliser forced extra-time, where the Spanish eventually displayed their strength over the Elephants. Mir scored two more goals in the extra periods to complete his hat-trick, while Mikel Oyarzabal added another from the penalty spot to seal the 5-2 win.
Both Japan and Spain are likely to be quite fatigued after playing 120 minutes each. Spain were already dealing with significant physical and mental stress with many of their players also part of their semi-final run in Euro 2020.
Nevertheless, the Tokyo Olympics 2020 odds will give the Spanish the slight advantage with their number of potential matchwinners. But the Japanese have a matchwinner of their own in Kubo, who has gone up against many of these players in La Liga and is more than capable of leading the hosts to victory.
Mexico vs Brazil
Mexico had by far the most convincing – and the most surprising – quarter-final victory as they smashed South Korea 6-3. Henry Martin and Sebastian Cordova both bagged braces while Luis Romo and Eduardo Aguirre scored the other goals to set up the rematch of the 2012 gold medal game against Brazil.
It should not have come as much of a surprise that Mexico had the potential to explode like this. After all, they had been the second-leading scorers behind South Korea with eight goals in the group stage, including four goals a 4-1 drubbing of France in their first game.
The South Koreans had looked stellar in the group stage with 10 goals scored and only one conceded in three group games, although they did lose 1-0 in their opening match to New Zealand.
El Tri are missing many of their big stars due to the Gold Cup, but they have shown in this tournament that the next generation is deep with talent. Cordova and Martin are now at three goals apiece, while three others – Romo, Aguirre, and Alexis Vega – have two apiece.
That impressive Mexican attack should prove to be a worthy adversary for reigning Olympic champions Brazil, who squeezed by Egypt 1-0 thanks to a goal from Matheus Cunha.
The Selecao were clearly the superior side, controlling 63 per cent of possession. However, they struggled to create too many big chances despite their 12-8 advantage in shots. Richarlison, who came into the match as the tournament’s leading scorer with five goals, did not provide many Olympics 2020 highlights as he was held to just a single shot.
But with Mexico likely to play a more open style compared to Egypt’s conservative, defensive approach, Brazil’s talented forwards should have more space and opportunities to create chances in the semi. And with the quality the Brazilians have in their squad, they should still be expected to overcome the dangerous Mexicans.
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