The Paris 2024 Olympics have officially begun, and there’s a full day of men’s football on Saturday.
The football competitions have already started for a few days, with some group matches already played. At the Olympic men’s football, the senior national teams are not participating. Most countries are sending their U23 men’s national teams to the stage. This means that many big-name players, such as Lionel Messi, will not be present. However, it is a great opportunity to see the young stars in action and assess the countries’ talent for the future.
The United States men’s national team, Argentina and hosts France are among the most interesting teams competing on Saturday. Follow live updates, scores and highlights below.
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Here is the full schedule for today’s game.
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- Group B — Argentina 3, Iraq 1
- Group C — Spain 3, Dominican Republic 1
- Group B — Ukraine 2, Morocco 1
- Group C — Egypt 1, Uzbekistan 0
- Group D — Paraguay 4, Israel 2
- Group A — USA 4, New Zealand 1
- Group A — France vs. Guinea | 3:00 p.m. | Telemundo, Peacock
- Group D — Japan vs Mali | 3:00 PM | Peacock (digital only)
CHRISTIAN PULISIC: Will Pulisic Compete in the Olympics? Here’s the Answer
France vs. Guinea, Japan vs. Mali: 0-0 in the second half
The matches ended in a goalless draw in the second half.
FINAL: USA Soccer 4, New Zealand 1
Djordje Mihailovic, Walker Zimmerman and Gianluca Busio scored in the first half, while Paxten Aaronson added another goal in the second half to help USA Soccer win 4-1 over New Zealand.
The four goals scored are an Olympic record for USA Soccer, while the victory is the first Olympic win since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The U.S. national soccer team responded well after losing 3-0 to host France in its season opener earlier this week.
France leads Group A with 4 points, ahead of USA Soccer and New Zealand (3 points), and Guinea (1 point).
FINAL: Paraguay 4, Israel 2
Fabián Balbuena’s header in added time and Fabian Fernandez’s goal three minutes later gave Paraguay a 4-2 win over Israel on Saturday.
Japan leads Group D with 4 points, ahead of Paraguay (3 points), Mali (2 points) and Israel (1 point).
Jesse Randall goal: New Zealand scores, loses 4-1 to USA Soccer
Jesse Randall scored in the 78th minuteth minute for New Zealand, spoiling a clean sheet for USA Soccer.
Paxten Aaronson goal: USA Soccer leads 4-0 against New Zealand
The U.S. soccer team set a record for goals scored in an Olympic match: Paxten Aaronson’s left-footed shot in the 58th minuteth minute gave USA Soccer a 4-0 lead over New Zealand.
The previous record was three goals scored in a 3-0 win over Costa Rica at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Gianluca Busio goal: USA Soccer takes 3-0 lead over New Zealand
USA Soccer got off to a flying start to the season, with Gianluca Busio scoring in the 30th minute.th minute, to take a 3-0 lead over New Zealand.
The total score, after just 30 minutes of play, matches the record for goals scored by the U.S. soccer team in an Olympic match. It beat Costa Rica 3-0 in the group stage of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Walker Zimmerman goal: USA Soccer takes 2-0 lead over New Zealand
Walker Zimmerman was in the right place at the right time, in front of the net to score in the 12th minute.th minute to help USA Soccer take a 2-0 lead over New Zealand.
Djordje Mihailovic goal: USA Soccer takes 1-0 lead over New Zealand
Djordje Mihailovic converted a penalty in the fourth minute to give USA Soccer a 1-0 lead over New Zealand. The goal was the first U.S. men’s Olympic goal in nearly 16 years, since the Beijing Olympics.
Final: Ukraine 2, Morocco 1
Ihor Krasnopir’s injury-time goal led Ukraine to a 2-1 win over Morocco.
The updated standings for Group B: Argentina (4 points), Morocco, Ukraine and Iraq (3 points each).
Final: Egypt 1, Uzbekistan 0
Ahmed Koka scored in the 11th minute, and Egypt held on to beat Uzbekistan 1-0.
Updated Group C standings: Spain (6 points), Egypt (4 points), Dominican Republic (2 points), Uzbekistan (2 points).
Final: Argentina finds the back of the net after its 3-1 victory against Iraq
Their first match was memorable for all the wrong reasons. But Argentina is back on track at the Paris Olympics. Thiago Almada, Luciano Gondou and Ezequiel Fernández each scored a goal to help Argentina beat Iraq 3-1 on Saturday.
It’s a far cry from the dramatic 2-1 defeat suffered by Morocco earlier this week after a fan intervention and a two-hour VAR review ruled out a goal and a draw. Argentina, Morocco and Iraq each have three points in Group B, ahead of Ukraine who have zero.
Final: Spain wins 3-1 against the Dominican Republic
Goals from Fermín López, Álex Baena and Miguel Gutiérrez gave Spain a 3-1 win over the Dominican Republic. Spain moved top of Group C with a six-point lead over Egypt, Uzbekistan and the DR.
Is Christian Pulisic competing in the Olympics?
No, Christian Pulisic is not playing with USA Soccer after his Copa America run with the United States Men’s National Team.
Here’s more information about Pulisic and the Olympics.
Will Messi, Neymar or Mbappé play at the Olympics?
No, Messi does not play with Argentina, Neymar does not play with Brazil and Kylian Mbappé does not play with France.
The Olympic football tournament is for under-23s only, although three players over 23 are allowed on each team.
Messi injured his ankle after the Copa America, but was not expected to play. Neymar is still recovering from knee surgery. Mbappe, although healthy, is playing for Real Madrid.
Ezequiel Fernández goal: Argentina 3, Iraq 1
Argentina won their second game easily after Ezequiel Fernandez scored in the 85th minute to secure a 3-1 lead against Iraq.
Goal by Luciano Gondou: Argentina 2, Iraq 1
Luciano Gondou’s header in the 62nd minute gave Argentina a 2-1 lead over Iraq in the second half.
Spain 3, Dominican Republic 1
Fermin Lopez opened the scoring for Spain in the 24th minute, but the Dominican Republic responded with a goal from Angel Emmanuel in the 38th minute. Then disaster struck and the DR was shown a red card. Edison Azcona was forced to leave the game after kicking an opponent. The Dominicans would play with one man down for the rest of the game. Spain regained the lead in the 55th minute thanks to a goal from Alejandro Baena. Miguel Gutiérrez scored in the 70th minute for Spain.
Aymen Hussein’s goal: Argentina 1, Iraq 1
Aymen Hussein’s header on the Argentina right post was impossible for the goalkeeper to reach. Ahmed Hassan provided the assist in added time before half-time.
Goal by Thiago Almada: Argentina 1, Iraq 0
Thiago Almada opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a shot from the left side. Julián Álvarez provided the assist after chesting the ball to Almada.
Argentina vs Iraq, what to expect
Argentina were favourites for gold heading into the Olympics but find themselves in a difficult position ahead of this match after the video response fiasco in their opening group defeat to Morocco.
A win is essential to get back into position to progress from the group stage, and Argentina will be motivated. Iraq beat Ukraine in their first match, which allows them to top Group B with Morocco, both on three points.
Explanation of the offside and VAR problem between Argentina and Morocco
Unruly football fans disrupted an Olympic match between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday, turning a 2-2 draw into a 2-1 win for Morocco after Argentina’s late goal was disallowed following video review.
The chaotic scene sent shockwaves, especially when players from both teams reappeared to finish the match in an empty stadium after a delay of about two hours.
The referees disallowed Cristian Medina’s equaliser after VAR ruled Argentina offside. The two teams played for three minutes and 15 seconds after VAR completed its analysis and disallowed the goal.
“It’s the biggest circus I’ve seen in my life,” said Argentina coach Javier Mascherano.
Why is men’s football an under-23 event at the Olympics?
This rule was put in place before the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. At the time, the Olympics were undergoing fundamental changes, moving from a strictly amateur event to one that allowed professional athletes to compete (the 1992 Games, perhaps the most famous, featured the “Dream Team”).
In light of this change, FIFA, the world’s governing body for football, put in place various barriers for players participating in the Olympics, as they did not want the World Cup to be the premier international football competition. One of these measures was an age limit. Additionally, since the Olympics are not a FIFA-sanctioned competition, club teams have the right to refuse a player’s participation. Many clubs prohibit their players from participating in the Olympics and the Euros or Copa America in the same summer.
This reality makes men’s football radically different from women’s football at the Olympics, as the women’s team has no such age limits. Read more.
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