More fútbol argentino than you can shake a mullet at
Three big matches took place on Wednesday evening at various levels of the Argentine game. At the most senior level, the least important game was played; Argentina beat Portugal in a friendly thanks to a first half goal from Ángel Di María and a last minute penalty from Lionel Messi. Club football's biggest South American... Continue Reading →
After a poor showing and a 1-0 loss to Ecuador in the first match of the final stage of the Sudamericano Sub 20, Argentina got their campaign back on track on Thursday night, and kept themselves in with a fighting chance of reaching the London 2012 Olympic Games, with a 3-2 win over Chile after... Continue Reading →
Four years ago it was Carlos Tevez, on Saturday Benfica's Angel Di María secured his place in Argentine football history by becoming the second man to score a gold medal-winning goal for his country in the Olympic Football Tournament. In a final played in scorching heat in the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing, Argentina rode... Continue Reading →
In a couple of hours' time, Argentina will be going for a second gold medal of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games when the men's football team take on Nigeria, their conquerors in Atlanta 1996, in the OFT final. Argentina are seeking to defend their title, having demolished arch-rivals Brazil 3-0 in the semi, with Liverpool... Continue Reading →
The Olympic Football Tournament is the one international tournament Brazil have never won (of the ones they compete in of course, because obviously they've never been crowned champions of Europe or what have you), and it will have to remain as such for at least the next four years. On Tuesday the selecção met the... Continue Reading →
Argentina advanced to the semi-finals of the Olympic Football Tournament in China on Saturday, after beating the Netherlands 2-1 after extra time in Shanghai. Barcelona star Lionel Messi was the key man for an Argentine side who found it hard, at times, to get out of first gear, but who still created more good chances... Continue Reading →
Argentina rounded off their Olympic Football Tournament group campaign with an academic defeat of Serbia on Wednesday. Having already qualified for the quarter-finals, Sergio Batista rested Juan Román Riquelme, Javier Mascherano and (to the disappointment of a Chinese crowd who'd turned up specially to see him) Lionel Messi, and was rewarded with a 2-0 win... Continue Reading →
The sporting security authorities suffered a blow on Tuesday, when it was announced that Javier Castrilli, 'El Sheriff', Subsecretary of Sporting Events Security, had resigned from his post. Disagreements with Aníbal Fernández, the Minister of Justice and Security, led Castrilli to feel that, 'the most healthy and least traumatic option [for me] was to resign.'... Continue Reading →
Argentina are still a long way from shining as brightly as they might do, but they confirmed their place in the quarter-finals of the Olympic Football Tournament on Sunday, beating Australia by a solitary goal after an underwhelming performance which saw the Aussies' spirited rearguard eventually broken by a brilliant counter-attacking goal from Napoli's Ezequiel... Continue Reading →
The goals from the first match of the men's Olympic Football Tournament between Argentina and Ivory Coast are online now, and you can watch them right here. I offer a metaphorical doff of the cap to anyone who can tell me what on earth Oscar Ustari is doing for Ivory Coast's equaliser... Argentina 2 -... Continue Reading →
Hasta El Gol Siempre 