US, Norway Advance to Women's Olympic Football Quarterfinals

The quarterfinals for the women's Olympic football (soccer) tournament are set following Tuesday's final preliminary Group action.

In Group-G, defending Olympic champion, the United States and Norway both advanced to the round of eight. The Americans won the group with a 4-0 rout of New Zealand, while Norway finished second following a 5-1 loss to Japan.

The U.S. next plays host China, which shut out Argentina 2-0 Tuesday for the top spot in Group-E. Norway next plays Group-F winner, Brazil, which got three goals from star Christiane to trounce Nigeria 3-1 in its final preliminary contest.

Germany's Anja Mittag scored the only goal in the two-time world champions' 1-0 win over North Korea for second place in Group-F. The Germans next go up against Sweden, a 2-0 winner over Canada in its Group-E match Tuesday.

The quarterfinals begin on Friday. The women's football tournament ends on August 21.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.