February 7 – Men’s Olympic champions Brazil suffered a shock 1-0 defeat by Paraguay in South American qualifying for the Paris Games later this year, leaving their participation in danger.
The Brazilians are playing Paraguay, Argentina and Venezuela in a four-team tournament with two tickets at stake for Paris, but their campaign took a setback when they slumped to a one-goal defeat at the hands of Paraguay with Fabrizio Peralta getting the winner on the stroke of half-time.
Argentina earned a point with a 2-2 draw against Venezuela, who play Brazil next and beat the reigning champions earlier this month. The tournament will end on February 11.
Brazil won the Tokyo Olympic tournament defeating Spain 2-1 in the final. They won their first-ever gold medal on home soil in 2016, overcoming Germany after a dramatic penalty shootout at the Maracana.
In the Oceania region, New Zealand took another step closer to qualifying for the fifth time in a row for the Olympic women’s tournament with a 3-0 win against Tonga in Tuanaimato.
The OFC region will send one representative to the women’s tournament in Paris. The qualifiers wrap up on February 19.
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