The women’s football semi-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympics take place on Tuesday, with four countries getting ready to battle it out for a spot in the final.
The tournament hasn’t been short of drama, with last-minute comebacks, a drone scandal and a never ending tally of goals, and the quarter-finals weren’t any different.
Two penalty shootouts saw Germany send reigning champions Canada packing and Spain cause heartbreak for Colombia, while 1-0 victories were enough for Team USA and Brazil to knock out France and Japan respectively.
However, whoever fails to reach the final will have the opportunity to secure a bronze medal, with the two losing countries playing one another on 9 August, a day before the eagerly anticipated final.
Ahead of kick-off, 90min has predicted the teams most likely to secure a spot in the final with wins in the final four.
Team USA are yet to lose a game under new head coach and Chelsea legend Emma Hayes. Although Japan put up a good fight in the quarter-finals, they weren’t able to do enough.
Germany’s game against Canada remained goalless until the penalty shootout, so they’ll need to pull something magic out of the bag to even be in with a chance of ending the USA’s impeccable winning streak.
Stranger things have happened, but the Hayes effect has helped the USA get back to their best following a disappointing World Cup campaign last year.
Prediction: USA 1-0 Germany
Both Spain and Brazil were on the back foot in their respective quarter-final matches.
Despite an eventual win over France, Brazil didn’t look their strongest and the absence of legendary forward Marta was apparent. However, they are going to need to overcome that after FIFA confirmed she has been issued another suspension for the semi-final for “serious foul-play” after the red card.
Reigning world champions Spain also looked as though they weren’t gelling, even though they went on to beat Colombia on penalties. Although there were plenty of goals, Spain will no doubt be disappointed with their performance.
However, it’s likely Spain will end up having the edge over Brazil due to their ability to get results in high-pressured environments, and the taste of glory still fresh following their World Cup win last summer.
Prediction: Spain 1-0 Brazil
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