Men's Olympic football: A guide to the quarter-finals at Tokyo 2020

With the final eight teams now decided after a thrilling group stage, here are the things you need to know ahead of the knockout rounds.

7 min

Football

(2021 Getty Images)

After 24 games and 61 goals, Tokyo 2020 has it's men's football quarter-finalists.

While eight sides failed to do enough to progress to the next stage of the competition, the quarter-final matches include Spain vs. Côte d'Ivorie, Japan vs. New Zealand, Brazil vs. Egypt and Republic of Korea vs. Mexico.

We've entered the knockout stages now - and on Saturday (31 July) the eight team will be fighting for a place in the semi-finals. And the right to play for Olympic medals.

Here's what you need to know about each tie ahead of the quarter-finals matches.

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Tokyo 2020 men's quarter-final: Spain v Côte d'Ivoire

Spain

Much like their quarter-final opponents, two draws and a win was enough to see them through to the last eight.

It began in a stalemate with Egypt, as neither side could break the deadlock and the game finished goalless.

The second game would get Spain their first points on the board, in a narrow 1-0 win against Australia that saw Mikel Oyarzabal clinch the game late in play.

The final game saw the Spain earn yet another draw, this time against Argentina with a goal apiece being the final result.

Coming into the Olympics on the back of an impressive Euros run, the experience of having players like Unai Simon, Pau Torres and Pedri has been critical to the German defence and establishing dominance across the midfield in particular.

With both team Spain and their opponents strong on defence, the game could be decided at the front of the pitch where both teams need more creativity in front of goal.

Côte d'Ivoire

Tasked with emerging from a group containing the likes of Brazil and Germany, Côte d'Ivoire had to come up with big performances.

And they did just that.

They opened their account against Saudi Arabia with a 2-1 win, before earning two draws against both Germany and Brazil, finishing 1-1 and 0-0.

Manchester United youngster, Amad Diallo, has been a bright spark in the middle, driving forward to create chances as well as cutting in from wide areas to cause problems for defenders.

They've looked relatively solid from midfield to defence, with Franck Kessié proving a standout throughout the group stages, acting as an engine in the middle of the field and controlling play.

If they are to progress forward, however, Côte d'Ivoire may need to be more clinical up front against a Spain side who have defended solidly so far.

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Tokyo 2020 men's quarter-final: Japan v New Zealand

Japan

The host nation have been drawn against New Zealand after a comfortable group stage run in which they went unbeaten.

They kicked off with a win against South Africa as wonder kid KUBO Takefusa's super striker earned the team three points.

Their final group game came against France, where the hosts came out on top with an emphatic 4-0 thumping, grabbing a pair of goals on either side of halftime.

Real Madrid star, Kubo, was the story of the group stage with his consistent delivery for his country, scoring in each of the games.

At just 20 years old, he's shown maturity at a top level to help his side progress and could be key to them going on a gold-medal charge in Tokyo.

New Zealand

The New Zealand team have experienced it all in the competition so far, with a win, draw and loss seeing them through to the quarter-finals.

Their Olympic journey got off to a positive start with a 1-0 win against Republic of Korea, and it was Burnley's Chris Wood who left it late to clinch the winner.

The following game against Honduras would see them beaten 3-2 in the final minutes as a result of a Rigoberto Rivas goal.

It was a 0-0 draw against Romania that would secure their qualification for the quarter-final round of the competition.

Progressing through to a semi-final could rely on talisman Wood being on form, as he's proved to be the key player in their attack.

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Tokyo 2020 men's quarter-final: Brazil v Egypt

Brazil

The reigning Olympic champions came into the Games without their star man Neymar, but they've yet to let it deter them.

Led by captain Dani Alves, they came through the group stage unbeaten, with two wins and a draw, qualifying in first place.

And in the absence of superstar names, it was forward Richarlison who stepped up and inspired convincing wins against Germany and Saudi Arabia, finishing 4-2 and 3-1 respectively.

Richarlison has scored five goals across three games, including a hat trick in the Germany game.

21-year-old Antony has also been a constant threat down the wing for Brazil, a spark of creativity going forward.

With three goals conceded in the group stages, their defence may need tightening against an Egypt team with the ability to capitalise on their mistakes.

Egypt

Without the likes of the sensational Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian team had a big task ahead of them to emerge from the group stages.

And with a win in their final game, they did just that.

They opened their Olympic account with a draw against Spain, before going onto lose to Argentina thanks to a Facundo Medina goal early into the second half.

Their much awaited win eventually came when they faced Australia in their final group game.

Goals from Ahmed Rayan - who has proved a threat going forward - and substitute Ammar Hamdy secured the three points and sent them on their way to the quarter-finals.

But they'll have to be on high alert at the back against a free-flowing Brazil team scoring goals for fun.

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Tokyo 2020 men's quarter-final: Republic of Korea v Mexico

Republic of Korea

With two wins and loss, the Republic of Korea comfortably progress through to the final eight.

Their first game saw them suffer a narrow loss to New Zealand.

The following two games were a different story, however.

The Korean squad hit back with a 4-0 thumping of Romania as Kangin Lee came off the bench to score a brace.

Next up was Honduras and they proved rampant, scoring six and keeping a clean sheet.

Uijo Hwang was the star of the show bagging a hat trick, but Kangin Lee impressed off the bench once again to score the sixth and final goal of the game.

With both Republic of Korea and Mexico emphatic up front, this tie could feature plenty of goals.

Mexico

Mexico came up with two wins to secure their place in the last eight.

It all started against France, with an emphatic 4-1 win to kick things off as all five goals in the game came in an enthralling second half.

Their second outing didn't exactly go to plan, losing 2-1 to hosts Japan.

But they soon bounced back in style against South Africa, and despite an excellent tournament from Ronwen Williams, he couldn't keep this prolific Mexican attack at bay.

Alexis Vega has been dangerous up top but Diego Lainez has been a standout player of the group stages, his creativity and ability to make things happen ties the Mexico attack together and gives them an extra threat against defences.