2012 Olympic Soccer: Borderline Teams Set to Advance in London

Top-contender Spain is already out of contention and just two teams remain undefeated through two matches so far.

It's clear that the soccer has been as competitive as advertised at the 2012 London Olympics, to say the very least.

However, this high level of competition has also made it difficult to figure out which borderline teams will make the push to the next round.

Uruguay, a team favored by many to win a medal prior to the start of the Games, is now on the brink of elimination. A step-up performance from Senegal left the South Americans in the dust in a 2-0 loss, and they now are a team which must fight to stay alive.

Here are the squads who will advance to the knockout stages in spite of struggles in group play.

Senegal

Any team which boasts the scoring prowess of Moussa Konate up front can make a strong push no matter who they face at these Games.

With four points in Group B, Senegal currently sits atop the standings with Great Britain following a 2-0 upset win over Uruguay.

Konate's play was outright nasty. He scored both goals to finish off Uruguay in spite of his team playing with 10 men for the majority of the match. He has scored all three goals for Senegal in London.

However, the team's first game against Great Britain was certainly one to forget. The team trailed 1-0 for 62 minutes and was eight minutes away from a 1-0 defeat. From one game to the next, it was as if Senegal put a completely different lineup on the pitch.

The aggression Konate displays around the goal is jaw-dropping and it's exactly what will propel Senegal to the next round.

Uruguay

The experience of forwards Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez lead one of the stronger sides at these Games, and it will be this leadership that will get them into the knockout stages.

Uruguay, like Senegal, will be competing along with Great Britain for two spots in the next round of play. This team has also struggled in London, and will need to come out on top in the final game of the group stage.

After a 2-1 win over United Arab Emirates to open the tournament, this team was taken down by Senegal. The Uruguayan players actually had better chances to win the second contest, but it's clear they have to get better at finishing.

What makes this side so special is its ability to attack. Suarez and Cavani are two of the more talented strikers in the world, but have failed to convert a goal in each of these first couple of matches.

In what is likely a must-win game over Great Britain, who currently leads the group standings, Uruguay will bring its A-game. Suarez and Cavani have strong World Cup experience and skill, and it will pay dividends in this match of epic proportions.

Egypt

Currently, Egypt sits in third place in Group C with just one point.

However, if one thing is for certain, what's on paper does in no way represent what this team is capable of achieving at these Games. 

In fact, Egypt should have handily beaten New Zealand in what ended up as a 1-1 tie in the team's second match of the Games. The Egyptians out-shot their opponents 28-4 and had 10 shots on goal to the four that New Zealand recorded.

If not for the countless missed opportunities in the contest, Egypt would be sitting right next to Belarus, tied with three points. However, the team now sits two points behind Belarus, while Brazil is as good as into the second stage with six points.

If the Egypt offense can cash in on their goal-scoring opportunities and play more sound at the back, there is plenty of promise for this squad. These players control their own destiny with a match against Belarus to close out Group B, and are more than capable of sealing the deal.

Follow Featured Columnist Luis Batlle for the most up-to-date Olympics and sports opinions.

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