The next-to-last game in the Olympic Football tournament will give Mexico and Japan a chance to earn a medal for their country. These teams have met previously in the competition, and this will be a good opportunity to bow out of the competition on a high note.
Mexico will get to this game after being eliminated from the gold medal race by Brazil. The U-23 Mexican side was unable to score a goal for the first time in the tournament against A Canarinha, and their luck in the penalty shootout was not that different, as only one of their three spot-kick takers found the back of the net. Eventually, Jaime Lozano's men succumbed to Brazil with a 4-1 score in the shootout to get to the consolation match.
The Japanese side was the only one in the tournament that had been able to win every single match prior to the semi-finals. Unfortunately for them, a late goal by Marco Asensio in the semis ended their gold medal hopes while also ending their unbeaten run.
Japan will have a full squad to choose from ahead of this clash, which will give their coach Hajime Moriyasu a chance to rotate some of his most tired players. On the other hand, Mexico will have to deal with the injury absence of Erick Aguirre, who has not been able to recover from a muscular problem. The rest of El Tri's players are fit to play, although coach Lozano may be inclined to make some changes to his starting lineup.
Both of these teams have history when it comes to third-place games in the Olympic football tournament. Japan will be playing their third bronze medal game, with the first one ending in a win in 1968, and the second one ending in defeat back in 2012. As for Mexico, El Tri will be playing in their second bronze medal match in the tournament's history.
Mexico and Japan will be playing their fourth Olympic football match in history. The first one of those came in 1968, when the Samurai Blue claimed the bronze medal against El Tri. The second one came in 2012, when Mexico eliminated Japan in the semi-finals en route to winning the gold medal. Last, but not least, their most recent encounter took place a couple of weeks ago, with the Japanese team claiming a 2-1 win.
Broadcast info: Mexico vs Japan
In Mexico: Marca Claro, Claro Sports, Blim TV, Canal 5 Televisa, TUDN En Vivo, Azteca 7, Azteca Deportes En Vivo.
In Japan: sports.nhk.or.jp.
In the U.S.: UNIVERSO NOW, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, NBCSN, NBCOlympics.com, UNIVERSO, NBC Sports App.
In the U.K.: discovery+, EuroSport Player UK.
In Argentina: Claro Sports, Marca Claro.
In Spain: Eurosport Player Spain.
In Canada: cbcsports.ca, CBC Sports App, Amazon Prime Canada.
In Germany: Eurosport Player.
In Italy: Eurosport Italy.
In Australia: 7plus.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
