The United States scored a trio of early goals to spark a dominant win over New Zealand, earning their first victory in a men’s Olympic soccer tournament since 2008 on Saturday in Marseille, France.
The 4-1 triumph at Marseille Stadium also kept the Americans alive in Group A after an ugly tournament-opening lost to France. Defender Walker Zimmerman, forward Paxten Aaronson and midfielder Gianluca Busio scored in Saturday’s victory. Advertisement
The Americans outshot New Zealand 17-8 and scored three times within the first 30 minutes.
Mihailovic started the scoring by netting a penalty kick in the 8th minute. He set up a second score less than five minutes later. The midfielder sent in a free kick from the right side for that score.
The feed drifted into the box and bounced into several players before dropped in front of the net.
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3 GOALS IN 30 MINUTES. #ParisOlympics
USA and Peacock pic.twitter.com/q3w4VZR0o9— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 27, 2024
Zimmerman then finished the play by poking a shot past New Zealand goalie Alex Paulsen.
Forward Kevin Paredes helped set up a third American goal in the 30th minute. He received a feed in the right side of the box before dropping a pass back to Busio. Busio then attempted a shot, which was blocked by the New Zealand defense.
The ball bounced back to the midfielder, who used his right boot to curl a shot into the right side of the net.
Forward Griffin Yow assisted Aaronson for a 4-0 lead in the 58th minute. Yow sparked that score with a long run up the left flank. He then carried his dribble into the box and fired a pass to Aaronson, who used his first touch to beat a diving Paulsen with a shot inside the far-post netting.
Midfielder Matthew Garbett assisted forward Jesse Randall for New Zealand’s lone score in the 78th minute.
The Americans will wrap up Paris Olympics group play against Guinea at 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Saint-Etienne. The American women, who dismantled Zambia 3-0 in their Olympic opener, will take on Germany in their second Group B match at 3 p.m. Sunday in Marseille.
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IT’S TWO.
The United States are off to a flying start against New Zealand. #ParisOlympics USA Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/5EuQ33jiRV— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 27, 2024
Earlier Saturday, Argentina beat Iraq 3-1 in a men’s Group B match in Lyon. Thiago Almada, Luciano Gondou and Ezequiel Fernandez scored for the Argentines.
Spain beat the Dominican Republic 3-1 in a Group C match in Bordeaux. Miguel Gutierrez, Alex Baena and Fermin Lopez scored for Spain.
Dmytro Kryskiv and Ihor Krasnopir led Ukraine to a 2-1 win over Morocco in a Group B meeting in Saint-Etienne. Ahmed Koka scored an 11th-minute goal to lead Egypt past Uzbekistan for a Group C triumph in Nantes.
Marcelo Fernandez scored twice to lead Paraguay to a 4-2 win over Israel in a Group D match in Paris. Fabian Balbuena and Julio Enciso also scored for Paraguay.
Paris Olympics 2024: Scenes from the Opening Ceremony
A hot air balloon carrying the Olympic flame rises into the air during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on, July 26, 2024. More than 10,000 athletes from 206 countries will compete in the Summer Olympics, which run through August 11. Photo by Maya Vidon-White/UPI | License Photo
