Olympics: Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt advance to last 8 as South Africa exit without a point

The duo of Cote d’Ivoire and Egypt have qualified for the quarterfinal of the football event at the Tokyo2020 Olympics. 

Cote d’Ivoire booked their second-ever quarterfinal at the Olympics after they were held to a 1-1 draw by their German counterparts on Wednesday morning. 

The Ivorians finished second in Group D with a win and two draws behind group winners Brazil who defeated Saudi Arabia 3-1 in their final game. 

Ivory Coast take on Spain next in the last eight, while Brasil lock horns with Africa’s remaining representative, Egypt who joined the Ivorians after a convincing 2-0 victory over Australia. 

Yasser Rayan and Amar Hamdi netted the goals for the young Pharaohs who also finished second in their group behind Spain. 

Meanwhile, it was a disastrous end for the third representative from Africa, South Africa after a 3-0 thrashing in their final group game to free-scoring Mexico ensured they exited the competition without a point. 

Both teams had a man sent off in the highly explosive encounter dominated by the Mexicans from start to finish.