Quest for Gold: Quarterfinals of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Women’s Football

The quarterfinals of the Tokyo 2020 Women’s Football tournament is tomorrow, July 30th! The final eight nations duke it out. The winners will make it to the semifinals and have a chance to compete for a medal at these Olympic Games. The action continues with the Quest for Gold: Quarterfinals!

Mandatory Credit: Xinhua/Imago/Icon Sportswire

Quest for Gold: Quarterfinals

Australia, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, and USA are the eight nations that made it to these knockout stages. Now they have the chance to continue their quest to win the gold at these Tokyo Olympics. The only region not to have a nation make it to the quarterfinals is Africa. The world is well represented as things move to the knockout rounds. Without further ado, let’s look at these matchups that will kick off early Friday morning!

Number seven in the world Canada and number eight in the world Brazil fight for spot in semis

Canada fought their way to the second-place spot in Group E. They drew hosts Japan, beat Chile by a goal, and drew Great Britain in a game of consequence. Does this Canadian side have what it takes to beat a strong opponent in a must-win game? They are the seventh-ranked team in the world, so they’ll be up for the challenge knowing a chance to medal is on the line.

Brazil went on a strong run to take the runners-up spot in Group F. They beat China by five, drew the Netherlands, and beat Zambia. Can this Brazil side that is full of veterans get one up on a familiar foe Canada? They’ll be ready to kick off the quarterfinals action.

This match showcases two of the nations that are in the top-10 of the FIFA women’s rankings. They’ve met before in the Olympics in the 2016 bronze medal match where Canada won by the score of 2-1. They’ve also met more recently in this past February’s SheBeleievs Cup. Brazil took that match 2-0. Both teams will look to dominate possession and impose their will on the other. Whoever does that the best will likely come out on top in this one!

Great Britain and Australia renew rivalry on the worlds biggest stage

Great Britain won Group F with some strong form as the team that only plays in these Olympic competitions came together. They beat Chile and Japan and came back to draw Canada to secure the top spot in the group. Can this team compiled of players from multiple countries be one unit and beat a rival?

Australia had a decent run of form in Group G. They beat New Zealand, lost to Sweden, and drew USA. Their points total was enough to secure one of the two third-place spots to get to the knockouts. Can this team that has been up and down in their group games beat a rival who won their group?

This is a rivalry that doesn’t just happen on the pitch. These two nations have a history together, and they get to renew that in the game of Women’s Football in a win-or-go-home game. Great Britain loves to play with the ball. The Woman to catch for them is Ellen White; she’s their goalscoring threat who can win the game all by herself! Australia will look to counter through Sam Kerr who has yet to really take over a match at these Olympics. If she does then this game could just tip Australia’s way.

Only undefeated nation Sweden take on hosts Japan for a chance to play in medal match

Sweden is the only nation that won all three of their group stage matches in Group E. They have been the best side this whole tournament beating USA, Australia, and New Zealand. They now get to take on hosts Japan. Can they keep things going against the host nation Japan, or will they crash out after a perfect start?

Japan has had a so-so tournament so far. They drew Canada, lost to Great Britain, and beat Chile in Group E. They have had trouble scoring goals, but have been stout defensively. They have scored two and let in three in three matches. Can this team hold off Sweden, and can they score enough goals to advance?

This bout between the best team in the group stage and the host nation will be one that will definitely be a battle of wills. Japan’s only win against Sweden was back in the 2011 World Cup. The two did meet in the 2012 Olympic games but drew nil-nil. Sweden won the most recent meeting back in 2016, getting a 3-0 win. Will this match show the fireworks, or will it be another closely contested matchup of good defense?

Netherlands looks to get revenge on USA in 2019 World Cup final rematch

The Netherlands has looked like a team determined on their Quest for Gold. They took the top spot in Group F beating Zambia by seven, drawing Brazil, and beating China by six. They have scored 21 goals in the group stage and now get to go to the knockout rounds and meet a familiar foe.

USA has not played up to their standards so far at these Olympic games. They took second place in Group G, losing to Sweden, beating New Zealand, and drawing Australia. The USWNT were able to make it to the quarterfinals regardless and now have to face a rival that they beat in the 2019 World Cup Final!

a battle of two top-five nations in the world, and a rematch of the 2019 World Cup Final will be a heated affair. The Netherlands can’t stop scoring, and the USWNT has looked very disjointed. The USA team will need to remember that they are the number one ranked team in the world to get out of their funk if they want to win. If they can’t then the Netherlands will tear them apart and get revenge on the team that beat them out for the 2019 World Cup!

Don’t miss the action

All of this action can be streamed on the morning of Friday, July 29th on NBC Olympic coverage. Matches can also be seen on TV on NBCSN. Here’s a look at the matches and the times of kickoff.

Canada vs Brazil | Friday, July 30 @ 4:00 am EST
Great Britain vs Australia | July 30 @ 5:00 am EST
Sweden vs Japan | July 30 @ 6:00 am EST
Netherlands vs USA | July 30 @ 7:00 am EST

Philly Sports Network will continue to follow the action as the nations move on from these quarterfinals to games that will determine who will play in medal matches. Follow along with us as this tournament continues!