Spain vs Argentina LIVE: Tokyo 2020 result, final score and reaction from Olympics fixture
The final group stage match will determine which nations progress to the knockouts and aim for the gold medal
Spain face Argentina in the men’s football at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday, with both nations needing a positive result to ensure they continue their journey in Japan.
The Europeans have so far won and drawn, but despite dominating long stretches of their matches they have been unable to click in attack, scoring just once so far - they are top of the group heading into the final 90 minutes, and need just a draw to guarantee a top-two finish. Argentina have it slightly more difficult, after defeat to Australia earlier in the group stage. They did recover to beat Egypt, but the lay of the group means they have to win this match to go through - anything less and they will be out, regardless of the result from the other match.
The race for medals looks set to be a tight one and there have already been plenty of surprise results - but to even have a chance at success, a big performance from both sides is required here.
Follow the latest updates from Spain vs Argentina and all the big news at Tokyo 2020 below:
Tokyo Olympics: What’s happened so far today at the Games?
- USA gymnastics star Simone Biles withdrew from Thursday’s individual all-around final, citing mental health concerns
- It came after Biles withdrew from the team final on Tuesday. Here’s how Simone Biles putting her mental health first showed that you can too
- Charlotte Dujardin won bronze in the individual dressage final, becoming GB’s most decorated female Olympian ever with six medals
- There was further success in the pool as GB won the 4x200m relay gold, with Tom Dean making history by winning his second gold in Tokyo
- GB won silver in the men’s quadruple sculls, but their dominance over the men’s four event came to an end - amid talk of ‘civil war’
- Andy Murray and Joe Salisbury were knocked out of the men’s tennis doubles, and so was Liam Broady in the singles
- Geraint Thomas missed out on a cycling road medal as Primoz Roglic stormed to gold in the men’s TT, as Annemiek van Vleuten won the women’s TT
- GB’s sevens team were beaten by Argentina as they lost the bronze medal match, while Fiji defended their gold by defeating New Zealand in the final
- Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto stole the show in a stunning men’s all-around final, as GB’s Joe Fraser and James Hall secured top 10 spots
- The USA’s Katie Ledecky added to her Olympic legacy by winning her sixth gold in the inaugural 1500m freestyle final
- History was made as the USA and Latvia won the inaugural 3x3 basketball finals in the women’s and men’s tournaments respectively
- In the football, there were shocks as Germany, France and Argentina were eliminated at the conclusion of the group stage
To come tomorrow
- Helen Glover will go for her third straight Olympic gold medal alongside Polly Swann in the women’s rowing pair at 01:30am BST
- Also early in the morning, James Wilby goes up against Australia’s Izaac Stubblety-Cook for gold in the 200m breaststroke final, that’s at 02:44am
- GB twin gymnasts Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova are up in the women’s individual all-around final - where there will be no Simone Biles
- Mallory Franklin will be a favourite for gold in the women’s C1 canoe slalom final after setting the fastest time in qualifying
- Both men’s and women’s GB hockey teams continue their group phase. They both play the Netherlands.
- After the men finished fourth, the GB women’s rugby sevens team get their campaign underway with matches against ROC and New Zealand
- In the golf, the men’s individual strokeplay competition begins, with Tommy Fleetwood and Paul Casey representing Team GB
- Novak Djokovic faces home favourite Kei Nishikori in the men’s tennis singles quarter-finals, as the women’s singles semi-finals take place
New Zealand wins gold in women’s pair rowing, as Great Britain fails to medal
The women’s rowing pair for New Zealand earned the country its first gold medal during the Tokyo Olympics.
Grace Prendergast and Kerri Gowler won gold in their A final at the Sea Forest Waterway on Thursday for the country after trailing the Russian Olympic Committee for the first 2000m of the race.
They finished with a time of 6 minutes and 50.19 seconds.
The Russian Olympic Committee won silver and Canada won bronze from the race.
Great Britain’s Helen Glover was vying to make history by earning her third consecutive title in the women’s coxless pairs, this time alongside a new partner in Polly Swann. But the pair, who ran in third for a majority of the race, experienced steering issues in the end and landed in fourth place.
Why does one volleyball player have a different colour jersey?
Viewers of the Olympic volleyball tournament at Tokyo 2020 may have noticed one team member on the court wearing a different coloured jersey.
That player is a defensive specialist known as a libero, and their jersey is normally one of that country's official colours but always contrasts that being worn by the rest of the team.
Two of the squad's 12 players can be assigned as a libero, a position that comes with a specific set of playing restrictions.
Graeme Massie has more on the libero position here:
Why does one Olympic volleyball player have a different colour jersey?
Libero position was only introduced to the sport in 1996 and has special rules attached to it
USA defeats Kenya in women’s beach volleyball
Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil, the United States’ female beach volleyball duo, made quick work of their second match on Thursday morning.
The pair defeated Kenya’s Gaudencia Makokha and Brackicides Agala by winning both the first and second sets.
In the first set, USA won 21-8 and then the team won in the second set 21-6.
Next up , the USA will take on Brazil on Saturday.
USA takes early lead against Kenya in beach volleyball
The United States’ women’s beach volleyball duo of Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil took an early lead over Kenya during their match on Thursday morning in Tokyo.
The duo won the first set out of three by 21-8.
Kenya is represented by Gaudencia Makokha and Brackicides Agala.
This match comes after Team USA defeated Latvia on Monday during their first game in the Tokyo Olympics by overcoming a large third-set deficit.
American basketball player wins gold just 11 days after she received the call to join the team
Jackie Young was on vacation in Florida on 17 July when she received a call asking if she would like to be on the Team USA’s women’s 3-on-3 basketball team.
The athlete, who played basketball at Notre Dame before becoming the WNBA’s 2019 No. 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas Aces, was offered the spot because Katie Lou Samuelson had tested positive for Covid-19. This meant Samuelson could no longer travel to Tokyo, Japan, for the Olympics.
Young flew from her Florida vacation to Las Vegas, Nevada, to begin her testing protocol before she would be allowed to join the team.
“I knew I had a chance to be on the team, but we weren’t sure,” she told USA Today. “I flew out the next morning.”
Then 11 days after the phone call, Young and the rest of Team USA won gold after they defeated the Russian Olympic Committee 18-15 on Wednesday.
“It’s crazy to think about,” Young said. “Ten days ago, I was on vacation. My life changed like that. Now I’m a gold-medalist. It’s crazy how things work out.”
Iranian defector wins judo silver for Mongolia and dedicates Olympic medal to Israel
Iranian Saeid Mollaei thanked Israel in the Jewish language of Hebrew after winning the silver medal in judo for his adopted country of Mongolia.
Mollaei fled Iran after refusing an order to purposefully lose in the 2019 World Championships so he didn't face Israel's Sagi Muki in the final, according to The Times of Israel.
The defending world champion was granted asylum in Germany before receiving citizenship in Mongolia. He was chosen to represent the country at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Justin Vallejo has the full report:
Iranian defector wins judo silver for Mongolia and dedicates Olympic medal to Israel
Friendship between Iran and Israel judo champions is being developed into a television series
When and where is the golf taking place at the Olympic Games?
When and where is golf at Tokyo 2020?
Both golf events at Tokyo 2020 will be held at the Kasumigaseki Country Club
Round 1 of golf is underway at the Tokyo Olympics
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics continues on Thursday morning in Japan with the first round out of four for golf.
Golf pros like Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and Bryson DeChambeau will all be competing this year for a chance to win a gold medal at the Olympics.
The competition will run from Thursday to Sunday with 120 golfers (60 men and 60 women) will be competing against each other for just the second time that the sport has been included in the Olympics since 1904.
This year the format for the competition will be similar to what was seen during the 2016 Rio Olympics with the golfers doing 72 holes of stroke play over the span of four days.
British golfer Justin Rose won the gold medal in the men’s competition and South Korea’s Inbee Park won the gold medal for the women’s competition during the 2016 Rio Olympics.
When is Helen Glover racing at Olympics? Team GB rowing schedule for Tokyo 2020
Great Britain's Helen Glover is bidding to make history as she goes for a third Olympic Games gold medal at Tokyo 2020.
Glover has returned from retirement to aim for a third consecutive title in the women's coxless pairs, this time alongside a new partner in Polly Swann.
The pair qualified through to the final as the third fastest duo from Wednesday's semi-finals.
They will compete as a busy week of Olympics rowing action continues at the Sea Forest Waterway.
Glover and Swann's final is set to begin at 1.30am BST on Thursday 29 July.
More details on the upcoming races here:
When is Helen Glover rowing at Olympics?
Helen Glover is looking to win her third consecutive gold medal alongside partner Polly Swann
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