By Andrew Warshaw
August 1 – Highly-rated Uruguay followed Spain out of the Olympic football tournament tonight as Team GB’s men emulated the women 24 hours earlier by clinching a quarter-final place – and topping their group.
Skipper Ryan Giggs, at 38 the oldest outfield player in Olympic history, failed to recover from a hamstring injury and had to be omitted in front of an expectant home crowd at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff (pictured below).
Liverpool’s Craig Bellamy, another Welshman and over-age player, took over the captain’s armband and an early goal from Daniel Sturridge (pictured above, number 9), forcing the ball over the line in the do-or-die fixture against the South Americans, ensured a Saturday (August 4) match-up with South Korea.
Uruguay staged a late recovery, forcing Jack Butland into two marvelous saves and rattling the bar in stoppage time.
But they have had a disappointing Olympics while Britain, whose players usually compete for individual FIFA countries and had been virtually cobbled together, reached the last eight for the first time since 1956 in Melbourne.
“When you play anyone in a situation when it’s them or us, for all intents and purposes it’s knockout,” said coach Stuart Pearce.
“We have beaten a very good side.”
Senegal were runners-up behind Team GB in Group A after drawing 1-1 with the United Arab Emirates, at the City of Coventry Stadium.
United Arab Emirates took the lead after a goal from Matar Ismaeil but this was soon cancelled out by Moussa Konate scoring his fourth goal of the tournament.
The only downside for Pearce’s squad is they now seem likely to meet Brazil, with a 100 per cent record so far, in the semi-finals in the quest for a medal.
Brazil, surprisingly, have never won an Olympic gold.
Danilo (pictured above, left) put them on their way to a comfortable 3-0 Group C victory over New Zealand before Damiao and Sandro added two more.
Defender Sandro was dismissed for two yellow cards 15 minutes from full time but by then the result was beyond doubt.
Egypt are also in the quarter-finals after cruising to a 3-1 win over Belarus at Glasgow’s Hampden Park with goals from Mohamed Salah, Marwan Mohsen and Mohamed Aboutrika, to set up a quarter-final encounter against Japan while Brazil will face Honduras and Senegal meet Mexico who beat Switzerland to win Group B.
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