Angel di Maria provided the finish to another piece of Lionel Messi magic as Argentina won their second Olympic soccer title in a row, a 1-0 victory over Nigeria yesterday.
Di Maria collected Messi’s expertly timed through ball in the 58th minute and nonchalantly lobbed it over Nigeria’s goalkeeper to give 2004 winners Argentina another gold medal and leave the Nigerians, champions in 1996, with the silver.
Brazil won the bronze on Friday by beating Belgium 3-0 in Shanghai, but now have to live with the fact that their southern neighbors have two Olympic titles and they have none. After the final, Ronaldinho and his teammates collected their bronze medals and saw the title go to their biggest rivals.
PHOTO: AFP
Di Maria’s strike was a goal to lift a final that was badly hit by searing temperatures of 42ºC.
The referee took the rare step of twice allowing players to stop and take drinks.
The only soccer game to be played in Beijing’s main Olympic stadium, yesterday’s match was watched by a crowd of 89,102 — including Argentina great Diego Maradona. But the fans had to wait a long time to be entertained.
Not surprisingly in the searing heat, the game was poor quality in the first half with too many mistakes, misplaced passes and players trying to move slowly around the field to conserve energy.
Nigeria almost went ahead shortly after the drink break when Odemwingie crossed from the left and Promise Isaac just missed the ball in front of goal. The ball came back and Isaac’s looping header was saved by Romero above his head.
Argentina were very disappointing in the first half, but Di Maria almost made the breakthrough with a 30m shot that Ambruse Vanzekin pushed round the post.
Messi produced one of his special moments in the 50th minute when he spun past a defender just outside the area and fired a left-footed drive that Vanzekin punched away. Then came his pass that set up the goal.
Riquelme went into a tackle inside the center circle and the ball spun out to Messi, who immediately released Di Maria. The Benfica midfielder had only goalkeeper Vanzekin to beat and nonchalantly lobbed the ball over him into the net.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
RSS