Holders Mexico have one foot in the quarter-finals after a thumping win against the Group C whipping boys, Fiji. But not before a brief hiccup, with the Oceania side taking the lead early in the game. Pressure kept mounting on Brazil as they succumbed to their second consecutive draw of the Olympics Once again, the hosts fired blanks in front of goal.
Nigeria qualified for the quarters after edging past Sweden. European champions Portugal too, booked a place in the last eight, following their win against Argentina with a hard-fought 2-1 win against Honduras. Germany and South Korea played out a thrilling 3-3 draw.
Mexico 5-2 Fiji
It looked like the football world was in for a shock when Fiji's Roy Krishna put his side in the lead. Mexico were unable to break past the opposition, and trailed at the half-time whistle. But one goal was all it took for the Fijian defence to fall apart completely; they had already let in eight goals against Korea. Erick Gutierrez leveled scores and added three more as the half progressed. Carlos Salcido also added his name on the scoresheet.
Portugal 2-1 Honduras
Portugal failed to get off the blocks and Honduras took only 30 seconds to break the deadlock through Alberto Elis. Portugal hit back through Tobias Figueiredo, who headed home from a free-kick. Later in the first half, Goncalo Paciencia netted the winner, pouncing on a deflection from close range. Honduras can still qualify if they win their last group game, which will be against Argentina.
Germany 3-3 South Korea
The World Champions stuttered yet again and now find themselves in a must-win situation going into their last group game. The Germans had to thank Arsenal's Serge Gnarby's brilliance for ensuring they got a point from a thrilling game, which saw the pendulum swing back and forth till the dying seconds. Gnarby scored his side's equaliser in the first half. Suk Hyun-Jun then put Korea ahead with three minutes left on the clock. But Gnarby had the final say, netting a free-kick in stoppage time.
Argentina 2-1 Algeria
After going down to Portugal in their first league encounter, which was also their first defeat in Olympic football since 1996, Argentina needed a win to stay alive. Their chances started to wear thin when defender Victor Cuesta was given his marching orders. But despite the team being down to 10 men, Angel Correa scored. Algerias's Sofiane Bendebka cancelled it out. The African giants also went a man down with Ayoub Abdellaoui being shown the red card. Correa turned provider and set Jonathan Calleri through with an exquisite pass, which found its way into the net.
Nigeria 1-0 Sweden
The 1996 gold medalists had yet another excellent game and Sadiq Umar's header in the first half proved to be enough for the side to book a berth in the next round. Despite what the scoreline suggests, the Nigerians dominated the match from start to finish, squandering several golden opportunities to score. After scoring four against Japan, Oghenekaro Etobo was particularly was wasteful in front of goal.
Denmark 1-0 South Africa
The Scandinavians found the winner in the 69th minute of the game through Robert Skov. It was unfortunate that the South Africans couldn't find the net despite coming close on many occasions. They hit the post during the game too. The Danes now have four points from two games and will play their final group game against hosts Brazil, who find themselves in a must-win situation.
Japan 2-2 Colombia
Japan conceded their seventh goal in two games and looked like they were heading out of the competition. But a spirited late comeback from being 0-2 down helped the Asian powerhouse to earn a draw. Takumo Asano and Shoya Nakajima scored for Japan, after Teofilo Gutierrez had given the South Americans a two-goal cushion.
Brazil 0-0 Iraq
It was the same familiar story from four days ago. Once again Brazil failed to score. Predictably, the boos rang around the stadium at full-time. The Iraqi defence set out for a point and the final whistle was met with ecstatic celebrations from the players. Neymar barely influenced the proceedings.
