The men's football tournament at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London is headed to the home stretch, as semifinal action begins on Tuesday with a battle between Mexico and Japan at Wembley Stadium.
The match will be broadcast live in the U.S. on the NBC Sports Network, and will be streamed online at NBCOlympics.com. Action is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. local time, noon ET in the U.S.
Both teams went 2-0-1 in group play, with the Mexicans tying Korea before defeating Gabon and Switzerland, and Japan tying Honduras following wins over Spain and Morocco. Mexico defeated Senegal 4-2 in the quarterfinals, while Japan topped Egypt by a 3-0 margin.
Mexico boasts the top goal-scorer between the two teams, as Tottenham Hotspur forward Giovani dos Santos is tied for third in the tournament with three goals in four games, but the Japanese have a pair of two-goal scorers as well in Yuki Otsu and Kensuke Nagai. Japanese goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda has not allowed a goal in four games, which means that Dos Santos and his team will have their work cut out for them.
The winner of the match will advance to the gold medal match against either Brazil or South Korea at Wembley Stadium on Friday, while the losers will play for bronze.
