Hasta El Gol Siempre

Lionel Messi talked to Barcelona, Lionel Messi played for Argentina. Lionel Messi set one up and scored one as Argentina beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in the opening match of the men’s Olympic Football Tournament to begin the defence of the gold medal won in Athens four years ago. Barcelona having apparently decided to allow the player to represent his country in spite of the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that they didn’t have to do so, Messi now wants to put it all behind him and get on with the business in hand.

In a match during which Messi and Juan Román Riquelme linked up superbly, the rest of the side didn’t shine quite so brightly. Messi put Argentina ahead shortly before the break, running onto a magesterial forty-yard pass from Riquelme and placing the ball in off the post. After a shaky first half showing, Argentina could go into the dressing room with renewed optimism for the second period.

Seven minutes after the break, though, Ivory Coast hit back with a header from Sekou Cisse, who beat Pablo Zabaleta at the back post to head over Oscar Ustari. For most of the second half, it was deadlock. Argentina moved the ball better, but the Africans attacked dangerously when they had it, and could have taken the lead with just under 15 minutes left when Gervinho mis-hit a cross which almost went in.

As it was, though, the winner came from Lautaro Acosta with five minutes left on the clock. A quick free kick was taken from Riquelme to Messi, whose shot was palmed away by the goalkeeper into Acosta’s path, and the new Sevilla man made no mistake. Not a pulsating start for Argentina, but a winning one, all the same.

For the goal videos, see the post above this one on the homepage.