Olympic soccer continues to frustrate South American powers.
With Brazil struggling mightily, Argentina was dumped out of the competition, eliminated after a 1-1 draw with Honduras where a victory was needed for the two-time Olympic champions.
With the match scoreless, both sides sandwiched halftime with missed penalties. Antony Lozano converted one from the spot for Honduras in the 75th minute, and while Mauricio Martinez pulled it back level in injury time with a deflected free-kick, it was too little too late.
The result sends Honduras through to the quarterfinals, finishing second in Group D on goal differential. The Group D winner was Portugal, who played to a 1-1 draw with Algeria, enough to give them a seven-point performance in the group stage.
Mexico was also ousted following a vastly disappointing 1-0 loss to South Korea. Kwon Chang-hoon scored in the 75th minute to send the defending champions home. Mexico was in command through most of the first half and early second half, but could not convert a number of chances. Carlos Cisneros was most wasteful, coming agonizingly close twice in the second half.
The win gave South Korea the top spot in Group C. Germany made it through in second place, thrashing Fiji 10-0. Arsenal’s Serge Gnabry starred for the Germans, with a pair of goals. Max Meyer was also prolific, bagging a hat-trick by the 52nd minute. The Pacific Games qualifiers were vastly overmatched throughout group stage play, finishing with just a single goal scored and 23 against.
Finally, Colombia defeated Nigeria as both teams secured spots in the knockout stage in the process. Nigeria was already through before kickoff with two wins through its first two matches, securing the top spot in Group B. The Colombians moved on with the 2-0 victory, going ahead just four minutes in via Teofilo Guitierrez and doubling their advantage past the hour mark as Dorlan Pabon converted from the spot.
Brazil still has yet to play, needing a win over Denmark to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. Kickoff for that game is 9:00 E.T. The hosts have been listless through their first two matches, playing to a pair of draws against Iraq and South Africa.
