The quarterfinals for the soccer Olympics are already here, as the group stage games ended on August 1. This has been so far an Olympics full of surprises, as favorite Spain and Luis Suarez’s Uruguay have not made it to the next round. It is especially startling in the Spanish case. The winners of the last World Cup and Euro Cup have not even scored a goal on the three games played in the group stage, and could just tie one of their games (0-0 against Morocco)

The group stage was composed of 16 teams divided within 4 different groups. Teams that have made it into quarterfinals are Great Britain and Senegal in group A, Mexico and South Korea in group B, Brazil and Egypt in group C and Japan and Honduras in group D.

With Spain out, the favorite is the ever-feared Brazil and host Great Britain. Giovani dos Santos’ Mexico is the third front-runner to lift the title. However, the other countries must also need to be taken into account as they have already struggled, and triumphed, through different battles.

A draw has already been made for the quarterfinal round, which will be played on August 4th. Host Great Britain will play against South Korea. Favorite Brazil will have to beat Honduras, who already won to mighty Spain. Mexico will play against Senegal, and Japan and Egypt will face off in the last quarterfinal game.

The most attractive game from the last day of the group stage was Brazil’s victory against New Zealand by 3-0. The Brazilians won the game with even a greater superiority than what the final result reflected. The first two goals were scored before the first half an hour by Leandro Damiao and Danilo. The third one was Sandro’s work at the beginning of second half.

The other big game of the day was the one played between Great Britain and Uruguay in Cardiff, Wales. The Brits won by 1-0 with Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge’s goal in a game that started shrouded in controversy since it was feared that Welsh were going to boo on the God Save the Queen British anthem. At the end fans respected the anthem.

Image Courtesy of  Cyril Hou / Shutterstock.com

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About the author

Francisco Fajardo
Journalist graduated from the Navarra University, he has worked on newspapers and radio in Spain. His passions are sports, history and politics. Now he is part of the Toonari Post team.