MARSEILLE, France — Djordje Mihailovic converted a penalty as the United States pounced early in a 4-1 victory over New Zealand on Saturday to stave off possible elimination at the Olympics.

A loss in Marseille could have ended the Americans’ chance to advance to the knockout round. The U.S. lost 3-0 to France in its Group A opener.

Mihailovic calmly hit the penalty in the eighth minute after Nathan Harriel was brought down in the box by Matthew Garbett.

Four minutes later, Walker Zimmerman, a defender, made it 2-0 when he poked in a goal in a scramble in front of the net following a free kick.

“It’s kind of do-or-die time,” Zimmerman said. “We knew it would come down to the start that we would have, and to get an early goal just was huge. Kind of gave us confidence to really get into the tournament.”

Gianluca Busio scored on a rebound at the half-hour mark.

Paxton Aaronson added a fourth goal for the United States in the 58th before New Zealand avoided a shutout with Jesse Randall’s late goal.

“For me, the most important thing is that we get (to the knockout rounds),” U.S. Coach Marko Mitrovic said.

“In some games, everything goes on your side. Sometimes it just goes the other way. The game against France was a game of inches, and today we were good at the first two opportunities … When you get in a game with 2-0 at the very beginning it’s obvious it’s a much easier game after that.”

The United States plays Guinea in its final group match on Tuesday.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: FIFA docked six points from Canada in the Olympics women’s soccer tournament and banned three coaches for one year each in a drone-spying scandal.

The stunning swath of punishments include a fine of 200,000 Swiss francs ($226,000) for the Canadian soccer federation in a case that has spiraled at the Summer Games. Two assistant coaches were caught using drones to spy on opponent New Zealand’s practices before their opening game on Wednesday, which Canada won, 2-1.

Canada Soccer and the Canadian Olympic Committee announced late Saturday that they were looking into an appeal, specifically of the deducted points.

“We feel terrible for the athletes on the Canadian women’s Olympic soccer team who as far as we understand played no role in this matter,” David Shoemaker, the Olympic committee’s CEO and secretary general, said in a statement. “In support of the athletes, together with Canada Soccer, we are exploring rights of appeal related to the six-point deduction at this Olympic tournament.”

Head coach Bev Priestman, who led Canada to the Olympic title in Tokyo in 2021, was suspended by the national soccer federation. Canadian officials suspect the spying has been systemic over years.

Priestman and assistant coaches Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander are now banned from all soccer for one year.

FIFA judges said Priestman and her two assistants “were each found responsible for offensive behavior and violation of the principles of fair play.”

The case is likely now heading for the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s special Olympic court in Paris. That tribunal is set up for urgent hearings and verdicts at the Olympics.

The points deduction, if upheld, would not officially eliminate Canada from the tournament, but it likely would mean the team must win all three games in Group A and hope to advance to the quarterfinals with three points.

Canada plays France on Sunday in Saint-Etienne, then faces Colombia on Thursday in Nice.

SWIMMING: It was billed as one of the most anticipated races of the Paris Olympics.

Ariarne Titmus of Australia turned it into a blowout.

Titmus left Katie Ledecky in her wake at La Defense Arena in Nanterre, leading from start to finish to win the 400-meter freestyle.

Titmus handed Ledecky a second straight Olympic defeat in an event the American won in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Titmus actually faced her stiffest challenge from 17-year-old Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh but won comfortably in 3 minutes, 57.49 seconds.

McIntosh claimed the silver in 3:58.37. Ledecky wasn’t even close, settling for bronze in 4:00.86.

Ledecky, 27, remains at six individual gold medals in her brilliant career, still the most of any female swimmer in Olympic history. She’s favored to take gold in both the 800 and 1,500 freestyle.

Titmus, 23, now has three individual Olympic victories. She swept the 200 and 400 free in Tokyo and is favored to pull off the same double in Paris.

Australia also won the women’s 400 freestyle relay, claiming its fourth straight Olympic title in that event with an Olympic record time of 3:28.92.

The Americans rallied to take silver in 3:30.20, edging China by a tenth of a second.

The U.S. capped the night with another gold medal for Caeleb Dressel, who anchored a dominating victory in the men’s 400 freestyle relay.

It was the eighth medal of Dressel’s career – all of them gold.

Dressel swam the anchor leg as the Americans finished in 3:09.28. Australia took the silver in 3:10.35, while the bronze went to Italy in 3:10.70.

MEN’S BASKETBALL: RJ Barrett scored 23 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 21, and Canada survived a big effort from Giannis Antetokounmpo to beat Greece, 86-79, in the opener for both teams.

Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 34 points.

Victor Wembanyama had 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three blocks to help France overcome an early deficit and beat Brazil, 78-66.

Australia and Germany also won openers. Jock Landale had 20 points and nine rebounds for Australia in a 92-80 win over Spain, and Germany defeated Japan, 97-77, led by Franz Wagner’s 22 points.

TENNIS: Rafael Nadal is not sure whether he will compete in singles at the Paris Olympics, saying after he paired with Carlos Alcaraz to win a first-round doubles match that he wants to “make the smartest decision possible to have the best chances to bring (a) medal back home.”

Nadal’s first match in singles, against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, is scheduled for Sunday.

Nadal and Alcaraz won the first match they’ve ever played together as a doubles team, beating Argentina’s Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

In a women’s singles match between two former No. 1-ranked players who own multiple Grand Slam titles, Angelique Kerber of Germany eliminated Japan’s Naomi Osaka, 7-5, 6-3, in the first round.

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek won her opening match, as did Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in men’s singles.

GYMNASTICS: Longtime men’s gymnastics rivals China and Japan could be on their way to another tight finish.

The sport’s two superpowers surged to the top of qualifying. China posted a team total of 263.028, with Japan right behind in at 260.594.

The U.S. was fifth, behind Great Britain and Ukraine.

RUGBY: In a seven-minute clinic, Antoine Dupont scored two tries and created another to deliver a coveted gold medal for France and end two-time champion Fiji’s Olympic dominance in rugby sevens.

The world’s best rugby player was saved for the second half in a tactical ploy that worked to perfection when he swung momentum with his first touch of the ball and then guided France to an emphatic 28-7 victory in Saint-Denis.

SHOOTING: Nino Salukvadze of Georgia became the first woman to compete at 10 Olympic Games, in a career that began representing the Soviet Union.

The 55-year-old Salukvadze has competed at every Summer Olympics since 1988, when she won gold as a 19-year-old Soviet prodigy. She set her latest record when she stepped into the shooting range for qualification in the women’s 10-meter air pistol Saturday.

Salukvadze placed 38th and didn’t advance to Sunday’s eight-shooter final, but she gets another shot at a medal Friday in the 25-meter pistol event.