A brace by Fermin Lopez powered Spain past Japan 3-0 in the men's quarterfinal soccer action in Lyon Stadium on Friday, August 2. The Spaniards took an early lead against Japan in the one-sided contest.
Lopez, who plays for Barcelona, fired in a shot from 25 meters in the 11th minute as Spain led 1-0 at halftime. He scored again in the 73rd minute after controlling a corner with his chest and connecting on the shot from outside the area.
Abel Ruiz completed the scoring for Spain with a tally in the 86th minute.
Olympic Soccer Rematch
The game marked a rematch of the semifinals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (Spain triumphed 1-0). It was a disappointing ending for Japan, which had finished in first place in Group D with a 3-0 mark.
"The players did an extremely good job," Japan manager Go Oiwa was quoted as saying by Kyodo News after the loss. "We had a relatively long period in possession of the ball and would have liked to take our chances.
"The players only have the senior national team to aim for after this and I hope they have a proper go at it."
Spain had six shots on target in the win, while Japan managed just three.
A Look Ahead
Up next: Spain will play Morocco in one semifinal on Monday, August 5, while France will take on Egypt in the other later the same day.
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Author: Jack Gallagher
The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.
