Canada's Evelyne Viens celebrates her goal during the Paris Olympics 2024 Football game between Football Ferns vs Canada at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, in Saint-Étienne, France. Thursday 25 July 2024. Copyright Photo: Raghavan Venugopal / www.photosport.nz Photo: Copyright © Photosport Ltd 2024 www.photosport.nz
Defending champions Canada reached the quarter-finals of the women's Olympic football tournament thanks to a 1-0 win over Colombia in Nice, hours after they had an appeal against their six-point deduction dismissed.
Colombia also booked their spot in the knockouts, along with France, Germany, Japan and Brazil, but Australia missed out.
The results set up some tantalising last-eight ties with Canada taking on Germany, the US playing Japan, Spain facing Colombia and France playing Brazil, with the quarter-finals being held on Saturday.
New Zealand bowed out after losing all three matches, going down 2-1 to Canada, 2-0 to Colombia and 2-1 to France.
Their opening match was preceded by the drone spying scandal in which a member of the Canadian wider squad was found to have flown a spy drone over the Football Ferns' training session in Saint-Etienne.
Canada were docked points following the scandal, leading to the suspension of coach Bev Priestman and other staff members and their appeal against the FIFA sanction was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier on Thursday.
With the top two teams in each of the three groups advancing, along with two best third-placed sides, Canada - now led by assistant coach Andy Spence - needed maximum points against Colombia to progress from Group A.
After wins against New Zealand and hosts France, Vanessa Gilles's 61st-minute goal against Colombia following a set piece was enough to send them into the knockouts after finishing second in the standings with three points.
Despite the defeat, Colombia reached their first-ever Olympic quarter-final after finishing as one of the best third-placed sides.
Football Ferns' captain Katie Bowen (L) contests possession with Colombia's Leicy Santos. Photo: photosport
France advanced with a 2-1 win over New Zealand in Lyon courtesy of Marie-Antoinette Katoto's double to finish as Group A winners.
Katoto opened the scoring with a header in the 22nd minute before New Zealand levelled with a fine Kate Taylor volley three minutes before the break.
Katoto, however, netted her second five minutes after the restart to become the tournament's leading scorer with five goals.
Germany thrashed Zambia 4-1 in St Etienne with a brace from Lea Schueller and goals from Klara Buehl and Elisa Senss to clinch a spot in the next round with a second place finish in Group B.
Schueller opened the scoring for the 2016 gold medallists 10 minutes in before Bruhl doubled the advantage from long-range two minutes after the break.
Zambia's Barbra Banda profited from a blunder by the German goalkeeper to net her fourth goal of the tournament, but Schueller made it 3-1 in the 61st before Senss sealed the rout in stoppage-time.
Australia out
Australia were eliminated after a 2-1 defeat to the US left them third in Group B with three points, but with an inferior goal difference to the other two third-placed sides, Brazil and Colombia.
The already-qualified US produced another dominant performance to finish the group stage with a perfect nine points.
Trinity Rodman put the four-times gold medallists ahead in the 43rd minute and Korbin Albert made it 2-0 with a terrific shot in the 77th, before Alanna Kennedy pulled one back for Australia in stoppage-time.
In Group C, Brazil lost 2-0 to Spain, who had already booked their knockout spot and claimed their third straight win thanks to second-half goals from Athenea del Castillo and Alexia Putellas.
Brazil's all-time leading scorer Marta, who is retiring from international football this year, was in tears after a dangerous challenge on Spain's Olga Carmona earned her a red card in the final seconds of the first half.
Brazil football legend Marta Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Del Castillo dealt Brazil another blow scoring in the 68th minute before a superb strike from Putellas sealed the triumph for the World Cup winners, who finished top of Group C.
Group C runners-up Japan beat Nigeria 3-1 in Nantes to finish with six points.
Chelsea's Maika Hamano opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and Mina Tanaka added another 10 minutes later.
Jennifer Echegini made it 2-1 three minutes from halftime but Hikaru Kitagawa secured Japan the win with a free kick.
- Reuters