Sergio Batista has added another name to Argentina's squad for the Olympic Football Tournament in August. Or, more specifically, for the friendly against Catalunya in Camp Nou on Saturday. Nicolás Pareja, the young defender for Anderlecht of Belgium, joins up with the rest of the squad, some of whom flew to Barcelona from Buenos Aires... Continue Reading →
Lanús 0 – 0 Deportivo Cuenca
There's very little to say about this one. On Thursday night, the champions of Argentina, who won the Apertura in such thrilling style as recently as December, and whose team is essentially unchanged since then, had a chance to bounce back from the 5-0 annhiliation given them by local rivals Banfield on Saturday. They failed... Continue Reading →
Differing margins
Tigre got back to winning ways against Olimpo, whilst San Martín vs. Gimnasia de Jujuy and Argentinos vs. Huracán were both stalemates, but it was the two scorelines that sandwiched those other three which define Saturday's action in the fifth round of the Clausura. In the day's final match, Vélez regained the summit of the table... Continue Reading →
Torneo Clausura 2008: The eve of the kick off
The 2008 Torneo Clausura kicks off at long last following the summer break on Friday evening, with Lanús aiming to defend the title they won so improbably back in December, whilst the likes of Boca will be wanting to get back to winning ways. Other big sides need improved performances, for a variety of reasons,... Continue Reading →
Turning it round
League champions Lanús booked their place in the Copa Libertadores group stage on Tuesday night, winning in style against Ecuadorian champs Olmedo to overturn a 1-0 first leg defeat. In the first half, they looked edgy, creating chances but - as in Riobamba last week - not managing to finish them off. In the second,... Continue Reading →
Team news
With just a few days remaining before the 2008 Torneo Clausura begins, some of the sides are still going over their options when it comes to the formations and personnel for their opening matches. No such trouble for Argentina's Olympic manager Sergio Batista, who already seems to know his starting XI for Wednesday's match against Guatemala... Continue Reading →
Falling short
Argentine champions Lanús played their first competitive match of 2008 on Thursday night, away in Ecuadorian city of Riobamba, home of that country's domestic champions, Olmedo. Nearly 2,800 metres above sea level, the Granate struggled, and lost 1-0. Lanús started with a side chosen with the altitude in mind, and set up to attack without taking... Continue Reading →
Continuing the trend
Lanús showed their first card of the year on Tuesday in a triangular tournament against Vélez Sársfield in the José Amalfitani. The Apertura champions continued where they left off the league season, playing well and running out 2-0 winners against the hosts, who were playing their first match of former Under-20 selección head coach Hugo Tocalli's reign.... Continue Reading →
Editorial: New year’s resolutions for 2008
The publication of this editorial got pushed back by a few days because I was ill earlier in the week not not up to spending too much time typing, but it's coincided nicely with the Arab new year. We've got a few readers in that part of the world, so happy new year to all... Continue Reading →
Solari to Olimpo!
Well, it pays to have an attention-grabbing headline. No, the Internazionale striker hasn't decided to pack in his Italian career in order to help the Aurinegro out with their relegation battle. But his little brother, the generous soul, has done exactly that. David Solari becomes Olimpo's first summer reinforcement. League champions Lanús, meanwhile, are still hoping to hang... Continue Reading →