La Roja booked their spot in the showpiece event by beating tournament hosts Japan 1-0 on Tuesday.
Spain will play in the final thanks to Marco Asensio’s only goal in extra time
Spain will face Brazil in the Olympics Men’s football final after penalty and extra-time drama in the semi-finals. La Roja booked their spot in the showpiece event by beating tournament hosts Japan 1-0 on Tuesday. Marco Asensio scored the game’s only goal in extra time to set up a final meeting with Brazil at the International Yokohama Stadium, with the Selecao having defeated Mexico on penalties. Japan took Spain all the way to extra time in their last four clash, sticking to a disciplined defensive shape while looking for opportunities to hit their opponents on the break. La Roja were denied a penalty after a VAR review, but neither side really looked like breaking the deadlock in the first 90 minutes, and extra time was needed to find a winner.
The Olympic football final will take place on Saturday
Asensio ultimately proved to be the matchwinner in the 116th minute, receiving the ball just inside the box before curling a beautiful strike into the far corner of the net. Brazil’s route to the final was even tougher, as they were taken to penalties by Mexico following a 0-0 draw after 120 minutes. The Selecao ended up winning the shootout 4-1 thanks to successful spot-kicks from Dani Alves, Gabriel Martinelli, Bruno Guimares and Reinier, advancing to their second successive Olympics final in the process. The final will take place on Saturday, August 7, at the International Stadium in Yokohama. Both Brazil and Spain will be out to win gold medals for the second time in their respective histories, with La Roja having won the 1992 tournament, while the Selecao were triumphant in 2016.
Meanwhile, Japan and Mexico still have the chance to pick up the consolation prize of a bronze medal. The two teams will meet at the Saitama Stadium on August 6 in a repeat of their group-stage meeting earlier in the tournament, which ended 2-1 to Japan.