Spain which initially struggled to find their rhythm, secured the lead in the 29th minute against Uzbekistan.
Sergio Gomez’s goal led Spain to victory over Uzbekistan in their Group C opener at Parc des Princes in Paris, with about 35,000 fans in attendance.
Marc Pubill opened the scoring in the 29th minute for Spain, gold medalists in 1992 and silver medalists twice since then, most recently in Tokyo. Eldor Shomurodov’s penalty in first-half stoppage time tied the match for Uzbekistan, debuting in the Olympics.
Gomez missed a penalty in the 59th minute but scored from about 12 yards out three minutes later.
Marc Pubill netted a close-range goal after a deft flick from Abel Ruiz.
Roared on by their passionate fans, Uzbekistan equalized just before halftime.
Eldor Shomurodov converted a penalty following a VAR review that confirmed Pau Cubarsi’s foul.
Spain’s coach, Santi Denia, commented, “For me, Uzbekistan were no surprise. We have achieved our objective, but it’s been a very difficult game and now it is time to improve. That’s my job, I have to transmit better.”
At halftime, Denia emphasized the need for better ball movement. “I told the team at halftime to improve ball circulation, which was what we were missing. We have to improve that. If we do it we will have more options to achieve victory.”
After the break, Spain squandered a prime opportunity to regain the lead when Abduvohid Nematov saved Sergio Gomez’s penalty. However, Gomez redeemed himself by scoring in the 62nd minute.
Japan 5, Paraguay 0
Shunsuke Mito and Shota Fujio each scored twice as Japan routed Paraguay in Group D.
Japan took advantage of Paraguay being reduced to 10 men in Bordeaux after Wilder Vera’s red card for a foul on Yu Hirakawa, following a VAR review. Mito opened the scoring in the 18th minute and added another in the 63rd. Rihito Yamamoto made it 3-0 six minutes later, and Fujio, a substitute for Mito, scored twice in the final minutes.
New Zealand 2, Guinea 1
Ben Waine’s goal helped New Zealand win their Group A opener against Guinea in Nice.
Guinea’s goalkeeper Soumaila Sylla saved captain Matthew Garbett’s penalty in the 24th minute, but New Zealand quickly recovered, with Garbett scoring a minute later. Guinea equalized with Amadou Diawara’s goal in the 72nd minute, but Waine restored New Zealand’s lead a minute later.
New Zealand reached the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Games, while Guinea made its Olympic debut.
Egypt 0, Dominican Republic 0
Egypt and the Dominican Republic played to a scoreless draw in Group C in Nantes. An apparent goal for the Dominican Republic by Peter Gonzalez was disallowed for a foul in the build-up.
Egypt, participating in its 13th Olympics—the most for any African nation—has never finished higher than fourth and reached the quarterfinals in Tokyo.
Iraq 2, Ukraine 1
Substitute Ali Jasim scored the winning goal for Iraq in their comeback victory against Ukraine in Group B.
Ukraine took the lead through Valentyn Rubchynskyi’s goal in the 53rd minute in Lyon, but Iraq quickly leveled from the penalty spot, with Aymen Hussein converting in the 56th minute. Ali scored the winner in the 75th minute, putting Iraq level with Morocco on three points at the top of the group.
