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epa05455405 Keagan Dolly (R) of South Africa in action against Zeca (L) of Brazil during the men's first round match between Brazil and South Africa for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Soccer tournament at Mane Garrincha stadium in Brasilia, Brazil, 04 August 2016. EPA/FERNANDO BIZERRA JR.
  • Post published:August 10, 2016

The South African Olympic team will now take on Iraq in their final Group A match at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games at Arena Corinthians on Thursday.

Group A at the Olympic football tournament has brought surprising results as Brazil were unable to defeat both South Africa and Iraq, and a single goal has been scored in four matches played.

Every team in Group A still has hope to advance to progress to the next round of the tournament ahead of the last round matches. South Africa currently sit at the bottom of the Group A but still have a chance to enter the last eight with a victory over Iraq and if Brazil loses to Denmark in the other final group stage match.

Both Brazil and Iraq are currently tied with two points each in the standings and a victory by Amaglug-glug and the Danish side will propel them to seven points and four points respectively, eliminating the host and Iraq.

Owen Da Gama’s side are coming off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Denmark in their previous match at the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha in Brasília. It was the only defeat recorded in Group A as the three other matches in the group have all been goalless draws.

‘We need to attack and score goals against Iraq that is the only way we can qualify. We have created many chances in the two matches we have played but still have not put the ball into the back of the net.’ said Da Gama.

‘We are not going to focus on Iraq on what they can and cannot do; we are going to play to our strengths. This is our chance to write our names in history and at this stage it is up to the players to rise up to the occasion.’

 

Denmark forward Robert Skov scored the only goal in the 69th minute to put the Danish side’s one foot into the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Iraq stunned the host nation by holding them to a goalless draw at the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha to give themselves a fighting chance of reaching the quarter-finals.

With the draw, Iraq has set themselves level with Brazil in the group and a win over South Africa will allow them to progress into the knockout stage if the host suffers defeat against Denmark in the other match.