As a flawless record of six consecutive wins, 11 goals scored and only two conceded suggests, Argentina thoroughly deserved to win the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament for the second time in four years. And as the fantastic foursome of Juan Roman Riquelme, Javier Mascherano, Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi explained, the Albiceleste’s 1-0 win over Nigeria was particularly sweet.
Few would dispute that Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero have a special gift. International roommates off the pitch and soulmates on it, the duo have graduated through the national ranks together. It was no surprise, then, to see them celebrating side by side after the medal ceremony.
The scorer of two goals against Brazil in the semis, the kid they call El Kun was savouring the moment. “The fact is it’s a wonderful feeling. I won the U-20 World Cup last year and now this. And to win it with friends like Leo too. I just can’t put it into words.”
A stock response to winning a title you might think, but having just been congratulated by the one and only Diego Maradona, Aguero’s excitement is easy to understand. “It’s very special to win this title, especially with Diego being here. He congratulated me and said I’d had a great tournament. You can’t ask for any more than that.”
For Messi, the most elusive player in the tournament, the gold medal is welcome recompense following the controversy about his participation in the Games. Having finally achieved his Olympic goal, the Barcelona man was happy to let off steam. “People said a lot of things that annoyed me before I came to China, everyone knows that. That’s what makes this medal so special. I think Argentina won the gold because we had a fantastic team that really pulled together. You could see that on the pitch.”
The elder statesmen of the team were no less ecstatic. The 30-year-old captain Juan Roman Riquelme enjoyed a fine tournament, bagging a goal in the 3-0 win over the Brazilians, and exited the Olympic stage in the best possible fashion. “I’m absolutely delighted because this was the last opportunity I had to play in the Olympic Games,” he said. “The final wasn’t very exciting perhaps but you have to go out and win these games. It’s as simple as that. I’ll be wearing the medal on the plane home. I won’t be taking it off for anyone.”
With an Argentina flag draped over his shoulders, a gold medal round his neck and a bunch of flowers in his hand, the smiling playmaker was the picture of happiness. Asked if he wanted to dedicate the win to anyone in particular, Riquelme was unequivocal. “Yes, to the whole team, which has been together for over a month. Even though I was a long way from my family, I never lost sight of our objective and winning the gold is amazing.”
One man almost at a loss for words was Javier Mascherano. The tireless central midfielder was a member of the Albiceleste team that triumphed at Athens 2004 and has now become the very first Argentinian to win Olympic gold twice. “This is just incredible,” he said with a slightly hoarse voice.
“My daughter wasn’t born when I won a gold medal at Athens so I’m going to enjoy this one with her. No matter what happens in my football career from now on, no one can ever take away the pride I feel at achieving something like this, especially in a sport as difficult as football. We won because we played attacking football and we never stopped trying things. And we beat Brazil in the semi-finals. It was the perfect tournament.”
A Diego strike and a brace from Jo gave Brazil their second bronze medal in four Olympics following a 3-0 win over Belgium at Shanghai Stadium.
Save for a good spell of pressure in the 15 minutes before half-time, the South Americans were largely in control and the scoreline was a fairly accurate description of their dominance, although Belgium were perhaps unlucky not to score on a hot and humid evening in eastern China.
Indeed, the Diables Rouges were quickest off the blocks and had a chance as early as the second minute when Maarten Martens’ swerving right-footed shot almost evaded Renan, the Brazilian goalkeeper doing well to guide the ball into his arms.
Soon after, Faris Haroun fed Tom De Mul on the right hand side, who crossed inside the box looking for Maartens. But with the Belgium captain shaping to shoot, Rafinha showed great awareness to nip in front of his man and clear the ball.
Manchester City striker Jo had a great opportunity to open the scoring with ten minutes on the clock, but put his free header from Ronaldinho’s corner wide of the target. The latter, meanwhile, found himself in the referee’s notebook on the 26th minute for simulation.
A minute later, Brazil broke the deadlock. Jo, gathering possession in midfield, fed the ball to Rafinha, whose cross was turned home by Diego under pressure from Thomas Vermaelen and Haroun.
After going behind, Belgium played their best football of the match. Maartens beat Rafinha down Brazil’s right hand side and whipped in a cross with the onrushing Kevin Mirallas inches away from applying a decisive touch.
The architect of that chance had two good opportunities in two minutes to draw Brazil level. Right-sided midfielder De Mul found the AZ Alkmaar midfielder inside the box, but he screwed his shot wide. Then, after some great approach play down the left, Maartens’ goalbound shot – which had Renan beaten – was deflected out for a corner by Breno’s thigh.
However, with the Europeans committing men forward, gaps were left at the back and they paid the penalty as half-time approached. Ronaldinho played the ball to Ramires on the right, who struck the a shot inside the near post. Logan Bailly parried, but the ball fell straight into the path of Jo, who headed the deflection into the empty net.
Trailing 2-0, Belgium coach Jean Francois de Sart made a double substitution in the 54th minute with Maartens and Mirallas coming off for Landry Mulemo and Anthony van den Borre. However, the move had little impact, as aside from an off-target Vermaelen header and Jan Vertonghen’s left-footed drive which was inches away from the target, the Europeans rarely threatened Brazil’s goal.
In a dull second 45, Brazil’s attacking forays were as rare as the Belgians, but substitute Thiago Silva stung the hands of Bailly with a long-range drive. The Racing Genk goalkeeper was called into action once again, saving smartly to deny Marcelo his second goal of the tournament.
With seven minutes left to play, Sepp De Roover had a great opportunity to pull one back, when he twisted his way past Marcelo in the box and fired a shot through the legs of Alex Silva. The ball was turned away unconvincingly by Renan’s right wrist and the chance was gone.
Jo added Brazil’s third with virtually the last kick of the game, sprinting clear after being released by Diego. The tall striker outstripped Vermaelen for pace and threaded the shot through the legs of the unfortunate Belgium keeper.
So it’s Dunga’s Brazil to fly to Beijing to receive their bronze medals on Saturday night, while Belgium head home empty handed. With this victory, a replica of the 1996 podium standings is still on the cards, providing Nigeria beat Argentina in Saturday’s final. But will lightning strike twice at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament? Time will tell.
It was a case of Déjà vu as the USA beat Brazil to the gold medal in extra time for the second straight Olympic final on Thursday in Beijing. A Carli Lloyd goal in the 96th minute was the only difference between the sides as they collect their third top Olympic prize in four instalments. Brazil, as they did four years ago in Athens and last year at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, have to tearfully settle for silver.
The contest began cautiously with both sides unwilling to commit too much to attack. The best challenge for the holders came in the 16th minute when Angela Hucles’ corner kick nearly soared directly into the Brazilian net. The bending left-footed try could only splatter against the top of Barbara’s crossbar.
As the half wore on, the Brazilians began to uncoil their springs slightly and push Marta and Cristiane into the US’s defensive third. On 31 minutes, Lori Chalupney gave the ball away in midfield and Formiga took advantage, stringing a fine through ball to the onrushing Cristiane. But the striker – top scorer at these women’s finals – was unable to settle the ball with her first touch and Hope Solo came out to grab hold.
Marta and Cristiane finished the opening period terrorising a supremely organised US defence, but the whistle went before the dynamic duo could do any statistical damage.
Brazil were searching for the crucial goal at the start of the second half, but the American rearguard were standing up to everything thrown at them. On 72 minutes, the dazzling Marta seemed to have found a way through, but after jinking and slinking her way into the penalty area, Solo made an outstanding reflex save at the near post to keep the scores level. It proved to be the turning-point.
Both sides were visibly tiring in the last ten minutes of regular time. In the 85th minute, the US – on the back foot for so long – nearly grabbed a winner, but Barbara was equal to Hucles’ low drive from 18 yards. Then, with just seconds to go, substitute Amy Rodriguez was denied by the Brazilian keeper when it looked an odds-on a goal.
The North Americans’ superior strength and fitness began to really show in the extra-time period. And only six minutes into the first half of it, they laid claim to that elusive, and precious, goal. Rodriguez knocked the ball off for Carli Lloyd at the edge of the penalty area and the midfielder skipped past two defenders before rifling a left-footer low past Barbara (1-0).
The USA’s gold medal is their third in four Olympic finals and their second on the trot. For Brazil, who lit up the tournament with their flair and creativity, it’s another case of so close yet so far.
Bajramaj brace bags bronze
An opportunistic double from substitute Fatmire Bajramaj sealed a 2-0 win over Japan and ensured Germany claimed bronze for the third successive Women’s Olympic Football Tournament.
The youngster’s well-taken brace put paid to a spirited Japanese challenge that only faded in the second half as the impressive Asians began to tire, but the Nadeshiko nevertheless emerged with huge credit from this closely-matched encounter.
Japan certainly dominated the opening period, outpassing and at times outclassing the world champions, who were once again forced to rely on their outstanding goalkeeper, Nadine Angerer.
On 21 minutes, the German No1 came to her side’s rescue by tipping round the post a low shot from Aya Miyama that seemed destined for the bottom corner. It was a fantastic save, but Angerer somehow contrived to better it just seconds later when she leapt to her left to claw away another goal-bound effort from the Japan forward.
The weary-looking Germans, for their part, failed to create a single clear-cut opportunity of note in a first half that belonged completely to their unfancied Asian opponents.
However, Silvia Neid’s team have a well-deserved reputation for being able to grind out results even when they are not at their best, and the introduction of three young substitutes early in the second half provided them with the spark to do just that.
Of all the replacements, the introduction of Kosovo-born Bajramaj undoubtedly made the biggest impact, with the talented youngster firing Germany in front on 69 minutes from an acute angle after Kerstin Garefrekes’ initial header had been parried clear.
Then, with the clock ticking down and Japan searching frantically for an equaliser, Bajramaj sealed Germany’s place on the podium with a superbly-executed second, cutting in from the left and drilling a low shot just inside the left-hand post with just three minutes remaining.
Sergio Aguero scored his first goals of these Beijing finals, helping to engineer Argentina’s dazzling 3-0 victory over ancient rivals Brazil in Beijing. The reward for their last-four victory is a final date with Nigeria, who beat Belgium 4-1 in Shanghai earlier today.
The contest started at a pace befitting a clash between two of the oldest and greatest rivals in world football. After cautious flirtations with the goal at either end, the first golden chance came in the 12th minute when Schalke’s jet-heeled Rafinha burst up the right wing and crossed dangerously. Lone Brazilian striker Rafael Sobis, however, was unable to get a toe to the ball at full stretch.
Only seconds later, Sergio Aguero collected a quick free-kick inside the Brazilian area, but the Atletico Madrid man somehow conspired to pull his shot wide of the near post with the goalkeeper at his mercy.
With 33 minutes gone on the clock, Lionel Messi, a fan favourite in China PR, began to make his mark on the match. A wasted free-kick from Juan Roman Riquelme fell to the Barcelona gem, but his arrow-like cross through the goal box eluded his fellow attackers. His best moment of the opening period came with four minutes to go. Jinking brilliantly through the penalty area, he forced Brazil keeper Renan into a reflex save that kept his side level at the interval.
Argentinian pressure picked up early in the second half, and Aguero’s good work finally paid dividends in the 52nd minute. After linking up with Fernando Gago, Angel Di Maria slammed a chest-high cross from the left that the striker shouldered into the back of the net from close range. Shortly after, Ezequiel Garay crossed low from the left side and the man they call ‘El Kun’ made no mistake, tapping home his second goal in six minutes.
Inspired by their talisman, Ronalidinho, Brazil nearly hit back on 65 minutes. The new AC Milan signing slammed a vicious free-kick off Sergio Romero’s post, and although Alexandre Pato managed to scramble the resulting rebound home, the referee signalled he was in an offside position.
It was the second time in the half the Brazilians had struck the woodwork, with Rafael Sobis hitting the very same post just minutes before. But their luck would only get worse before it got better.
Aguero was again the focal point for Argentina’s third goal. After collecting a pass from the effervescent Messi in the penalty area in the 74th minute, the Atletico Madrid forward was hacked down by Breno for a penalty. Captain Riquelme stepped up to do the honours, hammering up through the gut of the goal.
Brazil’s miserable night was completed in the last ten minutes when Lucas and Thiago Neves were both sent off for cynical fouls on Javier Mascherano.
The gold-medal match between Argentina and Nigeria, both former winners, will take place at the Bird’s Nest National Stadium on 23 August. Brazil will take on Belgium for Bronze in Shanghai the day before.
A fantastic team performance, capped by a brace from Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi, ensured Nigeria beat Belgium 4-1 to become the first team to reach the final of this year’s Men’s Olympic Football Tournament.
The opening half was dominated by Samson Siasia’s side, and their attacking verve threatened to carve open their opponents’ defence. Much of the initial prompting came from Peter Odemwingie, whose pace and trickery had Belgium on the back foot from the outset.
As early as the first minute, the Lokomotiv Moscow forward broke quickly down the left and crossed the ball into the box. Logan Bailly, recovered from the shoulder injury that forced his early exit from the quarter-final win over Italy, palmed it away but his clearance fell into the path of Ebenezer Ajilore. He fed Sani Kaita, whose shot was saved by the Belgian keeper.
A defensive slip from Nigeria almost gave the Europeans a great opportunity to score. Onyekachi Apam allowed the ball to bounce over his head, but although Kevin Mirallas reacted quickly, his shot went wide of the target.
The 17th minute was action-packed and resulted in the game’s first goal. Ogbuke Obasi ran down the right wing, twisting and turning his way past his Belgian adversaries, before unleashing a shot which was expertly turned around the post by Bailly.
From the resulting corner, Victor Obinna played the ball to Odemwingie and he found Femi Ajilore, whose shot was blocked. The Belgian backline could only partially clear the ball, which fell into the path of Olubayo Adefemi, and he rifled a shot home from 18 yards.
Nigeria almost lost their concentration – and their lead – in the minute immediately after the goal. Anthony Van den Borre’s run found Tom De Mul, who was denied by some last-ditch defending.
Yet, after regaining their composure, it was Dream Team IV, as they are known in their homeland, who looked the more likely to score. Solomon Okoronkwo beat his marker for pace and got himself into a good position, but flashed his shot wide with just the goalkeeper to beat.
Odemwingie will have also been disappointed to not at least test the keeper from close range after being supplied by Ogbuke Obasi, and a single goal separated the sides at half-time.
Nigeria faced the happy conundrum of whether to defend their lead or push for a second after the interval, and the confusion almost took its toll when Belgium had two great chances to score after the restart. First, Moussa Dembele supplied Mirallas, who brought out a fine save from Ambruse Vanzekin. Then, Jan Vertonghen’s first-time volley from De Mul’s corner was smothered by the keeper at his far post.
Siasia sent on Victor Anichebe for Okoronkwo and he had an immediate impact, setting up Ogbuke Obasi to side-foot home on the hour mark, although the Everton striker missed a golden opportunity minutes later, hitting the ball wide of the target with the goal at his mercy – and most Nigerian fans already celebrating.
That miss was forgotten, however, when Ogbuke Obasi scored his second and Nigeria’s third with a rasping drive from the edge of the box with 17 minutes to go. The right-footed strike will surely go down as one of the goals of the tournament, and dispelled any doubt that the Africans would reach the final.
Six minutes later, they added another. Obinna’s corner from the left was taken short to Chibuzor Okonkwo, and his shot cannoned off the post and into the net. Substitute Ekpo Emmanuel brought out a flying save from Bailly as Nigeria threatened to run riot, but Belgium grabbed a small consolation when Laurent Ciman smashed home a free-kick in the 89th minute.
The goal, however, was hardly celebrated as three minutes later it was Nigeria rejoicing at the fact that they had become the first team to book their place in the Olympic Village and the Bird’s Nest Stadium for the final, while Belgium must battle for bronze.
USA set up golden replay Team USA will face off with Brazil in a replay of the gold medal match of four years ago in Athens, after beating Japan 4-2 in their semi-final in Beijing. After going down a goal early, the US turned on the style and roared past the impressive Asians in the Chinese capital.
The game developed quickly into a duel between Japanese flair and technique and American power and organisation. There was no surprise when the lively East Asians opened the scoring, either, with USA looking flat in the early going.
Lindsay Tarpley failed to get up after a Japanese corner in the 16th minute, playing Shinobu Ohno onside. Yukari Kinga’s cross-shot fell to Ohno’s feet, six yards out, and, after controlling, the unmarked striker slammed past Hope Solo and into the USA net.
Minutes later, Ohno again had Solo scrambling with a shot from the edge of the penalty area, but this time the keeper was equal to the task with a fine diving save. The Americans looked out of sorts as the half wound down, launching the odd hopeful long ball up to Amy Rodriguez, who looked a lonely figure up front.
The last five minutes of the opening period saw USA finally find their rhythm, and overturn the Japanese lead in the process. First, a low cross from Heather O’ Reilly on the right was dummied by Tarpley, before Angeles Hucles roared through for the simplest of tap-ins. Four minutes later, USA were taking a lead into the interval when Lori Chalupney raced past three defenders and thumped a vicious strike into the top corner.
The US picked up the pace in the second half. They ended the game as a contest when O’Reilly lofted a looping shot over the head of Fukumoto, who was out of position, in the 70th minute. Another goalkeeping error allowed them a fourth with ten minutes to go, Hucles scoring her second of the game from what looked a wayward cross.
The Japanese scrambled a late consolation goal in the closing moments through substitute Eriko Arakawa, but it made no difference to the result. USA will now meet Brazil on 18 August at the Workers’ Stadium, hoping for a second straight gold medal, while Japan and Germany will do battle for bronze earlier in the day.
Brazil’s 4-1 win over Germany was not only their first over the reigning world champions at senior level, but it was the result that sealed their place in the final of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008.
With Cristiane and Marta in inspired form, Germany had no answer to the creativity, class and composure of their opponents, despite having the better start. Silvia Neid’s side imposed themselves from the first whistle, and in the opening five minutes had already asked questions of their opponents’ defence by firing two corners and a free-kick into the box.
The pressure paid off in the tenth minute, when Erika lost possession with Birgit Prinz bearing down upon her to present the German striker with a one-on-one opportunity. The 30-year-old used all of her experience to keep her cool, rounding Barbara and slotting the ball home. It was her first in the competition and took her tally in the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament to ten.
Although the Brazilians saw more of the ball in the 15-minute period after the goal, it was still the Europeans who created the better chances, with Renate Lingor’s free-kicks causing all kinds of problems for their defence. However, the pick of the opportunities came in the 18th minute when Anja Mittag fired wide from 25 yards with just the keeper to beat.
Germany were left to rue that miss when Brazil equalised in the 43rd minute. Following some great approach play down the left, in which she nutmegged Kerstin Stegemann, Cristiane sent the ball in from the left. Marta swung and missed, but with the German defence’s eyes on the Brazilian No10, they ignored the unmarked Formiga, who smashed a right-footed shot into the net. It would have taken something special to beat a goalkeeper who had previously never conceded at a FIFA Women’s World Cup or Olympic Games, but the German No1 was left with absolutely no chance from the midfielder’s thunderbolt.
Marta almost added insult to injury a minute later when her goal-bound shot was superbly tipped over the bar by Angerer, but both teams went into the interval level.
The crowd did not have to wait too long for Brazil’s next goal. Renate Lingor’s corner was cleared by the Brazil rearguard into the path of Marta, who ran from deep inside her own half to the edge of the German box. The FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year showed great awareness to slip the ball to her left and find Cristiane, who had the easiest of opportunities to slot the ball home.
By now, Brazil’s pace and movement were threatening to tear the German defence apart and Marta’s goal in the 53rd minute was just reward for their dominance. Receiving the ball down the right channel, she ran at the German defence before squeezing in a left-footed poke past Angerer from the narrowest of angles.
Another Brazilian counter-attack in the 76th minute led to their fourth – and Cristiane’s second of the evening. She squeezed her way past four German defenders and then side-footed the ball into the net for her fifth of the tournament. Four could have easily been five just minutes later when Marta broke down the right and fed substitute Francielle, who screwed her shot wide with only the goalkeeper standing in her way.
Both teams now travel to Beijing for their last match in this competition, but while Brazil will be preparing for a final, Germany must now battle for bronze.
BEIJING – Argentina and Brazil advanced to a South American showdown and Belgium scored three goals with a man disadvantage to shock Italy 3-2 in men’s Olympic soccer on Saturday, earning a semifinal match against Nigeria and a chance at its first medal since winning gold in 1920.
Extra-time goals by Rafael Sobis and defender Marcelo gave Brazil a 2-0 victory over 10-man Cameroon, and Argentina also prevailed in extra time, 2-1 over the Netherlands.
The Belgians scored three goals—two by Moussa Dembele—after going a man down in the 17th minute to rally past the Italians, the bronze medallist in Athens four years ago, and reach the final four in their first appearance in Olympic soccer since 1928.
Nigeria beat Ivory Coast 2-0 to return to the semifinals for the first time since it won gold in 1996 and will take on Belgium in Shanghai on Tuesday. Argentina will play Brazil the same night in Beijing.
In Shanghai, China, Lionel Messi scored the first goal and set up the extra-time winner for defending champion Argentina.
Watched by Argentina’s soccer great, Diego Maradona, Messi gave his side a 14th-minute lead with his second goal of the competition, but Otman Bakkal equalized for the Dutch in the 36th.
Messi then sent a through ball for Angel Di Maria, who fought off defender Roy Beerens and rolled the ball past the goalkeeper inside the far post in the 105th minute.
Although it was another sellout 56,000 crowd, Maradona sat in an almost deserted VIP box alongside a team official but got a huge ovation from the fans.
In Shenyang, despite playing with a man advantage from the 52nd minute when Cameroon’s Albert Baning received a second yellow card, Brazil failed to break the scoreless draw until Sobis fired a right-footed shot from inside the area in the 101st minute. Marcelo then clinched the victory with a goal from near the penalty spot in the 105th.
It will be the fourth trip to the semifinals for the Brazilians, who have never won the Olympic gold—the only major title the country has never claimed but finished twice with a silver.
Brazil began playing better only after Baning was sent off. Both teams committed several hard fouls throughout the match, and a total of 12 yellow cards were awarded, five for Brazil and seven for Cameroon.
In Beijing, Dembele scored a goal in each half to rally Belgium, which had to play with only 10 men after Thomas Vermalen was sent off in the 17th minute for running over Robert Acquafresca, a foul which resulted in the first of two penalties by Giuseppe Rossi.
His first goal—a header from Tom de Mul’s corner—equalized in the 24th despite Italian protests that Luca Cigarini cleared the ball off the line with his right foot.
Kevin Mirallas gave Belgium a 2-1 lead two minutes into first-half injury time, trapping a long ball from Sepp De Roover out of the back, turning and beating defender Salvatore Bocchetti to strike a left-footed shot from 12 yards that easily beat Viviano. Dembele put Belgium ahead for good in the 80th with a left-footed shot from the top of the area.
In Qinhuangdao, Peter Odemwingie scored in the first half and Victor Obinna converted a late penalty to lead Nigeria.
Odemwingie hit a right-footed strike past Ivorian goalkeeper Vincent Angina in the 44th, and Obinna added the second goal in the 80th after defender Souleymane Bamba took down Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi in the box.
Both Nigeria and Ivory Coast struggled to find any sort of rhythm in a sloppy first half that saw players knocking easy balls out of bounds and hitting errant passes to the opposing team. Other than a group of Nigerian fans dressed in green and white that danced and played on trumpets and drums, there was little excitement for the crowd of almost 29,000 until Odemwingie’s strike on the counter in the 44th.
USA 2 – Canada 1 (After Extra Time)
Substitute Natasha Kai emerged as USA’s extra time heroine, heading home a dramatic winner to settle a memorable North American derby and set up a semi-final date with either China or Japan.
The drama traditionally associated with this fierce cross-border rivalry had been cranked up a notch when, with just 19 minutes played, a ferocious lightning storm forced the referee to call a temporary halt to proceedings.
Complicating matters further was the fact that, by this point, the US had already raced into an early lead, Angela Hucles firing home from close range in 12 minutes after Heather O’Reilly’s initial header had been parried clear by Erin McLeod.
Brazil 2 – Norway 1
Brazil’s impressive race toward the medal rounds continued unabated on Friday night as the Group F winners raced past over Norway 2-1 in Tianjin’s last Olympic game thanks to strikes from Daniela and Marta. The South Americans will now face Germany in the semi-finals in Shanghai.
China 0 – Japan 2
Goals from Japanese pair Homare Sawa and Yuki Nagasato sent China PR out of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in Qinhuangdao on Friday.
The game at the Olympic Sports Center Stadium was a meeting between two of Asia’s biggest rivals and, as such, had a real derby feel to it. From the first whistle to last it was played at a frenetic pace; full of pride and passion, but with both teams not forgetting fair play. Unsurprisingly, the 28,459 crowd was right behind the hosts, but they had little to cheer about during the 90 minutes.
It was Japan who began brightest. With just five minutes on the clock, Shinobu Ohno ran at the Chinese defence, before unleashing a shot which crept just wide of the post. Ten minutes later, the Nadeshiko were 1-0 up, Aya Miyama delivering a corner from the left flank with Sawa towering above Zhang Ying to head home.
Germany 2 – Sweden 0
Germany scored twice in extra time to finally extinguish Sweden’s challenge and book a semi-final with Brazil in the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. After a goalless 90 minutes, Kerstin Garefrekes and Simone Laudehr found the target to settle a game that could have gone either way in the favour of the reigning world champions.
The first half began as a chess match, with both sides assuming a cautious stance given the high stakes. As the interval approached, however, the chances began to flow.
Germany’s best opportunity fell to whom their fans would have wished, but after effortlessly rounding goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, Birgit Prinz uncharacteristically missed the target with the goal at her mercy. Sweden also spurned a clear-cut chance from close range, Jessica Landstrom heading wide two minutes before half-time.
Sweden No. 11 Victoria Svensson then fluffed her lines when well-placed four minutes after the restart, and this seemed to spark Germany into action. Thereafter, Silvia Neid’s side progressively assumed control of the game, unsettling their opponents with their elusive movement and employing a sharp passing game to unlock the Swedish defence. Twice, Prinz found herself in shooting positions but on both occasions she failed to trouble Lindahl, who did nonetheless have to be alert to keep out a Garefrekes effort on 75 minutes.
The outstretched arm of Nadine Angerer then denied Sweden a late opener, before Melanie Behringer’s fierce drive rebounded off a post to the frustration of the German supporters.
Both sides threatened the deadlock in extra time, and it was eventually broken by the towering Garefrekes, who rose highest to head home a Renate Lingor corner. Laudehr then put the contest beyond Sweden’s reach from close range after a delightful one-two with Prinz.
Germany will now meet Brazil, whom they defeated 2-0 in the final of last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, in the last four on Monday.
The US Women’s soccer team has produced a series of videos chronicling their preparation for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The series introduces you to the players and coaching staff. It also shows what goes on in the locker room and in training session. This is entertaining stuff for any soccer fan.
Wednesday the 13th turned out to be a black day for Asian football, as all four of the continent’s hopefuls were eliminated from the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament.
Japan, already out of the running before kick-off, lost 1-0 to the Netherlands, and although Korea Republic beat Honduras, it was not enough to reel in Cameroon in Group D. Australia lost 1-0 to Côte d’Ivoire and finished a frustrated third in Group A, but the greatest misery of all was reserved for China PR. Faced with a daunting task in their final group fixture against gold-medal favourites Brazil, the hosts ultimately finished on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline and bade a sad farewell to their home tournament.
But one man’s pain is another man’s pleasure, to paraphrase the saying and song, as all the teams from South America and Africa progressed to the last eight. The European contenders have also acquitted themselves well, as Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium booked spots in the quarter-finals, with only Serbia missing out.
“The European players have far greater opportunities. They hone their skills in top leagues and face the best teams. They gain lots of experience from that, and it’s a huge help in developing their game,” reflected Japan coach Yasuharu Sorimachi.
The big game Nigeria – USA
Nigeria’s 2-1 triumph against the USA was the surprise result of the final round of group matches. The Americans were top of Group B going into the concluding fixtures and basically required only a draw to make the quarter-finals. But it was not to be as second-placed Nigeria squeezed home 2-1 and leapfrogged the US into first place. To rub salt into the wound, the Netherlands’ victory over Japan in the parallel fixture saw the Stars and Stripes tumble to third and exit the tournament. Gerald Sibon’s penalty for the Dutch in Shenyang sealed the USA’s fate, although their troubles were partly of their own making as they spent much of the match against Nigeria with only ten men.
The other games
Argentina comfortably won Group A with maximum points from their three matches. Côte d’Ivoire sealed second spot with a 1-0 win over Australia. The most curious moment of the day was provided by Serbia keeper Vladimir Stojkovic, who saved both of Argentina man Angel Di Maria’s efforts in a twice-taken penalty.
Brazil matched Argentina with a nine-point haul in Group C, and also made the last eight without conceding a goal. Belgium battled to second place in the section and a quarter-final berth courtesy of a 1-0 success against New Zealand.
In Group D, Italy and Cameroon shared the spoils to confirm first and second place respectively, turning Korea’s 1-0 victory over Honduras into a dead rubber. However, Kim Dong Jin’s winner was the goal of the day, as he drilled home from 18 yards following a neat exchange of passes with Lee Keun Ho.
The Player
Brazil’s stars shone again in their 3-0 victory, but the brightest of the lot was Diego. The midfielder was the fulcrum of his side’s attacking efforts, providing an assist for Thiago Neves and scoring another goal himself. The mobile Werder Bremen playmaker has emerged as a key figure in coach Dunga’s side, continuing the fine form he had already displayed in the South Americans’ first two games.
The Stat 9 – Argentina set a new Olympic record with a ninth consecutive victory in the Olympic Football Tournament. After winning all six of their matches at the 2004 games in Athens, they have completed their group fixtures in China without dropping points.
What they said
“We’re travelling the length and breadth of China. We started in Hong Kong, then it was Tianjin, we were here today and now we’ll be flying to Shanghai. I hope our tour ends in Beijing.” Netherlands coach Foppe de Haan, when asked how he was enjoying China.
“Those guys are my boys and they played so hard. For me, they went into battle tonight and they have improved on the international stage. In my heart, the boys won the gold medal.” USA coach Peter Nowak on his side’s elimination at the group stage.
All the results
Côte d’Ivoire – Australia 1-0
Argentina – Serbia 2-0
Netherlands – Japan 1-0
Nigeria – USA 2-1
China – Brazil 0-3
New Zealand – Belgium 0-1
Korea Republic – Honduras 1-0
Cameroon – Italy 0-0
Quarter-finals
Brazil – Cameroon
Italy – Belgium
Argentina – Netherlands
Nigeria – Côte d’Ivoire
Five-star Japan sink Norway
Japan’s 5-1 defeat of Norway on Tuesday in Shanghai saw the East Asians through to the quarter-finals of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. They will now meet China in their last-eight clash while the second-place Norwegians take on Brazil and table toppers the USA face Canada.
German joy as Korea fall
A 1-0 in Tianjin guaranteed Germany a place in the quarter-finals, while the North Koreans were eliminated by later results.
Schelin sparks Swede dreams
Lotta Schelin struck twice as Sweden leapfrogged Canada into the second of Group E’s qualifying slots with a hard-fought 2-1 win in Beijing.
The Swedes’ dubious reward is a quarter-final showdown with world champions Germany, while the beaten Canucks – who also advance to the last eight as one of the best third-place teams – face a potentially thrilling North American derby against their eternal rivals, USA.
Dominant USA avoid Brazil
USA dominated New Zealand throughout a 4-0 victory on a day when everything went their way in Group G. The result, coupled with Norway’s shock defeat by Japan, means the Americans pipped their Scandinavian rivals for top spot in the section and avoided a quarter-final meeting with Brazil.
It took just 40 seconds for Heather O’Reilly to score the fastest goal in the history of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, and thereafter it was all one-way traffic. Shannon Boxx had two attempts on goal from outside the box, and Lindsay Tarplay came close to doubling her team’s lead, teasing her way in from the left before firing against the post.
With halt-time approaching, Pia Sundhage’s side made it 2-0. Taking a long ball over the top into her stride, Amy Rodriguez arrowed the ball into the bottom-left corner of Jenny Bindon’s goal from the edge of the box.
New Zealand quickly got into gear following the restart, with Kirsty Yallop piercing through the US midfield and using a clever slide-rule pass to put Amber Fearn through on goal. The No9 looked favourite to reduce the deficit, but her tame effort was easily saved by Hope Solo.
It was the wake-up call USA needed and after Bindon had been drawn out of position due to blocking shots by Amy Rodriguez and O’Reilly, Tarplay guided the ball into the unguarded net to make it 3-0. Shortly after, Lori Chalupny cut in from the left and fired the ball against the crossbar. The rebound fell to Angela Hucles, whose strike found the back of the net despite the New Zealand keeper getting hands to the ball.
USA continued to monopolise possession, but they seemed quite content to hold out for a victory that, improbably, proved enough for them to finish atop the pool. New Zealand, by contrast, ended the first-phase at the foot of Group G.
China set up all-Asia clash
An assured 2-0 victory over Argentina gave the hosts top spot in Group E and set up an all-Asia quarter-final with Japan in the process. The opening 45 minutes saw little in the way of clear-cut chances, but China striker Han Duan was guilty of missing a hat trick of opportunities.
Cristiane stars as Brazil take top
A first-half treble from Cristiane helped Brazil beat Nigeria 3-1 to march into the quarter-finals as Group F winners. The result ended Nigeria’s participation in the competition.
Requiring victory to have any chance of progressing from the section, the Africans took the game to their opponents from the outset. Ifeanyi Chiejine, in particular, troubled the Brazilians, first driving the ball into the side-netting before curling a free-kick narrowly over Barbara’s crossbar.
The Seleção goalkeeper was undone on 19 minutes, though, when Perpetua Nkwocha sent her the wrong way from the penalty spot after Cynthia Uwak was fouled. Barbara then had to dive to her right to deny Nigeria a second goal ten minutes later.
Having conceded the spot-kick from which Brazil fell behind, Rosana was determined to make amends. And that she did on 34 minutes, masterfully flicking the ball on to the head of Cristiane, who nodded home the equaliser from close range.
Jorge Barcellos’ side had, by now, found their rhythm, and within minutes Cristiane’s stunning overhead kick had edged them in front. The elusive No11 completed her hat-trick on the stroke of half-time, collecting a Maycon pass and finishing coolly.
Nigeria’s chances of seizing maximum points were remote going into the second half, but that did not prevent them from a relentless attempt. Barbara, however, was equal to all of their efforts on goal.
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