Egypt vs Paraguay

Egypt’s dream 2024 Olympic Games campaign continues with a handsomely-looking quarter-final tie against Paraguay at the Stade Velodrome.

Despite being held to an underwhelming 0-0 draw by the Dominican Republic in their Group C opener, Egypt sealed a top-table finish in their section with back-to-back wins against Uzbekistan and Spain. Goals on either side of halftime inspired the Pharaohs to a 2-1 triumph against heavily fancied La Roja on matchday three, earning them a third consecutive appearance in the Games quarter-finals. Egypt could reach the semi-finals for the first time since 1965 with a win against Paraguay, and they seem well-positioned to do just that. Rogerio Micale’s team finished the group phase as the tournament’s joint-best defensive side, having conceded just once. Egypt’s defensive solidity would likely help them maintain an outstanding record of not losing a U23 fixture since July 2021.

Meanwhile, little did Paraguay know they’d be contesting the Olympic Games knockouts in their first tournament appearance since claiming the silver medal in 2004 following a thumping 5-0 defeat to Japan in their curtain-raising Group D outing. However, Carlos Jara Saguier’s charges bounced back from an early upset to secure a runner-up finish in their section with successive victories against Mali and Israel. Paraguay broke the deadlock inside the opening 25 minutes in both those triumphs, highlighting the importance of delivering a quick-fire start. There’s still a question mark over Paraguay’s defensive stability as they conceded a whopping seven goals in the group phase – more than any other nation to have qualified for the quarter-finals. On a more positive note, they’ve found the net in 17 of their last 18 games.