Argentina Overcome Initial Chaos to Secure First Win at Olympics 2024
Argentina overcame Iraq 3-1 on Saturday, and Spain defeated the 10-man Dominican Republic to win for the second time in a row after a disorganized beginning to their Olympic men’s football campaign.
gold medallists twice In a game tainted by crowd unrest, Argentina’s Paris Games campaign started on Wednesday in Saint-Etienne with a 2-1 loss to Morocco.
But goals from Thiago Almada, Luciano Gondou, and Ezequiel Fernandez in Lyon gave Javier Mascherano’s team their first point in Group B, with Aymen Hussein answering for Iraq.
Argentina is now even on three points with Iraq and Morocco, who both defeated Ukraine 2-1 in their opening encounter. Morocco and Ukraine were scheduled to meet at Saint-Etienne later on Saturday.
The conditions surrounding their loss against Morocco, which left the South Americans stunned, had them believing Cristian Medina had tied the score in injury time in the sixteenth minute.
The crowd unrest that ensued forced the players off the field, and Medina’s goal was subsequently overturned by a VAR review before the match was played out in an empty stadium.
No similar issue occurred in Lyon, when Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez set up Almada for the opening goal on minute 14, giving Argentina the lead.
In the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, Iraq, who qualified after placing third at the Under-23 Asian Cup this year, equalized when captain Hussein rose to head in a cross from the left side.
However, shortly after the hour, Argentina took the lead again. After only two minutes on the field, Gondou, the forward for Argentinos Juniors, looked unmarked at the back post and headed in an enticing cross.
Five minutes into stoppage time, Kevin Zenon gave the ball back for Boca Juniors’ Fernandez, who curled in a stunning goal from long range, to seal the victory with the third goal.
In Group C, Spain secured their second victory in as many games as they defeated the Dominican Republic 3-1 in Bordeaux. Spain is the Tokyo silver medallists.
Midway through the first half, they took the lead thanks to a goalkeeper Enrique Boesl’s pass being intercepted by Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez, who was a member of Spain’s winning Euro 2024 side, controlling and scoring.
It was all one-way traffic, but in minute 38, a corner header by Angel Montes de Oca unexpectedly tied the score for the Dominican Republic, who were competing in their first Olympics.
But in first-half stoppage time, captain Edison Azcona was sent out for kicking out at Pau Cubarsi while he was on the ground, so they were down to 10 men.
After the interval, Spain made the most of their additional players as Alex Baena’s deflected goal gave them the lead again and Girona’s Miguel Gutierrez scored on the 70th minute.
His goal was first taken back for offside, but a VAR review later overturned the decision. In the men’s football Olympic event, Argentina overcame a chaotic opening match to defeat Iraq 3-1 on Saturday, while Spain defeated the 10-man Dominican Republic.
gold medallists twice In a game tainted by crowd unrest, Argentina’s Paris Games campaign started on Wednesday in Saint-Etienne with a 2-1 loss to Morocco.
But goals from Thiago Almada, Luciano Gondou, and Ezequiel Fernandez in Lyon gave Javier Mascherano’s team their first point in Group B, with Aymen Hussein answering for Iraq.
Argentina is now even on three points with Iraq and Morocco, who both defeated Ukraine 2-1 in their opening encounter. Morocco and Ukraine were scheduled to meet at Saint-Etienne later on Saturday.
The conditions surrounding their loss against Morocco, which left the South Americans stunned, had them believing Cristian Medina had tied the score in injury time in the sixteenth minute.
Also Read: Morocco’s Stunning victory over Argentina Amid Chaos: Olympic Football 2024
The crowd unrest that ensued forced the players off the field, and Medina’s goal was subsequently overturned by a VAR review before the match was played out in an empty stadium. No similar issue occurred in Lyon, when Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez set up Almada for the opening goal on minute 14, giving Argentina the lead.
In the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, Iraq, who qualified after placing third at the Under-23 Asian Cup this year, equalized when captain Hussein rose to head in a cross from the left side.
However, shortly after the hour, Argentina took the lead again. After only two minutes on the field, Gondou, the forward for Argentinos Juniors, looked unmarked at the back post and headed in an enticing cross.
Five minutes into stoppage time, Kevin Zenon gave the ball back for Boca Juniors’ Fernandez, who curled in a stunning goal from long range, to seal the victory with the third goal.
In Group C, Spain secured their second victory in as many games as they defeated the Dominican Republic 3-1 in Bordeaux. Spain is the Tokyo silver medallists.
Midway through the first half, they took the lead thanks to a goalkeeper Enrique Boesl’s pass being intercepted by Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez, who was a member of Spain’s winning Euro 2024 side, controlling and scoring.
It was all one-way traffic, but in minute 38, a corner header by Angel Montes de Oca unexpectedly tied the score for the Dominican Republic, who were competing in their first Olympics.
But in first-half stoppage time, captain Edison Azcona was sent out for kicking out at Pau Cubarsi while he was on the ground, so they were down to 10 men.
After the interval, Spain made the most of their additional players as Alex Baena’s deflected goal gave them the lead again and Girona’s Miguel Gutierrez scored on the 70th minute. His goal was first taken back for offside, but a VAR review later overturned the decision.
Egypt and Uzbekistan, their Group C foes, were scheduled to play later in Nantes. Additionally on Saturday, the highly anticipated hosts France take on Guinea in Nice in Group A as they look to win two straight.
Egypt and Uzbekistan, their Group C foes, were scheduled to play later in Nantes. Additionally on Saturday, the highly anticipated hosts France take on Guinea in Nice in Group A as they look to win two straight.
