Argentina’s national football team handed Brazil, the title-holder of the last two Olympics, a defeat in the men’s football competition, blocking their ticket to the upcoming Paris Olympic Games scheduled from July 26th to August 11th. Argentina secured a 1-0 victory against their traditional rival in Caracas during the South American qualifiers.
Guided by their coach, former international midfielder Javier Mascherano, Argentina qualified for the finals with a goal from Luciano Gondo, aiming for their third title after 2004 and 2008 victories.
Paraguay secured the second ticket for South America in the Olympics by defeating Venezuela 2-0, where a draw was enough for the former while the latter needed a win. Paraguay, who won a silver medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics, topped the group with 7 points, leading Argentina by 2 points and Brazil by 4, while Venezuela remained at the bottom with only 1 point.
The disappointment of Brazilian promising striker Andreik (17 years old) failing to score was significant, as Brazil only needed a draw to ensure their presence in the Olympics. Argentina now has an opportunity to revive the golden medal memories of 2004 with striker Carlos Tevez and coach Marcelo Bielsa, and of 2008 with Lionel Messi.
Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Venezuela advanced to the final stage of the South American Olympic qualifiers, a group of 4 teams playing each other once, where the top two qualify for the Paris Olympics.
