LIONEL Messi-inspired Argentina claimed back-to-back men's football gold medals when an Angel di Maria goal beat Nigeria 1-0 in the final in Beijing.
And while Messi didn't score, he made the goal in wonderful fashion.
At 21, the world is at his feet, which is why Argentina fought his club, Barcelona, to keep him at the Olympics and why he wanted to be there.
But the Games showed the all-round strength of the Argentinan squad and coach Sergio Batista was keen to spread the credit around and to predict great things for his charges.
"Messi has played very well and improved with each game but I can't tell you anything new about Lionel Messi," he said.
"He had a wonderful tournament but it doesn't just hinge upon one player. It was a team effort - very skilful players are sometimes viewed as superior but our goal is to put together a team in which every cog plays its part.
"I'm sure this victory will help the 'A' team with a view to the World Cup 2010, and our job with the young players is to feed them through to the national side.
"Today the full side could have seven or eight players from this team who are going to make their debuts for the national team, such as Di Maria, so we're delighted it shows the work we're doing at youth level is working."
On the day, though, the win was as narrow as the score suggests. In a tight game played in sweltering heat, Argentina were, as always, skilful and controlled but also playing within themselves, waiting for the moment to go for the kill.
In a goalless first half, their approach play was neat enough but in 45 minutes largely devoid of gilt-edged chances, if anything it was Nigeria who had the best of them.
Perhaps the most glaring chance was by Promise Issac just past the half hour. Peter Odemwingie's run and cross down the left whizzed untouched across the face of the Argentinian goal, and when it was returned to the far post Issac seemed non-plussed to be unmarked six metres from goal.
The ball hit his shin, then his chest and lobbed into the grateful arms of Sergio Romero.
For Argentina, Di Maria posed the most direct threat to Nigeria in the first half. First his driving dribble through the heart of the Africans' defence earned a freekick from 20m that Riquelme blazed over, and then Di Maria let fly unexpectedly from 30m, Ambruse Vanzekin doing well to tip the ball wide of his near post.
But when Messi opened the second half with a turn and shot that stung the palms of Vanzekin, there was a sense he was sharpening the knife, and just before the hour he supplied the incision.
A 50-50 challenge in Argentina's half squirted in his direction, and in a flash Messi had dropped his shoulder, turned away from Onyekachi Apam, and released Di Maria with a perfect throughball.
Racing clear, Di Maria waited for Vanzekin to advance before chipping a sublime lob into the net.
But Nigeria refused to lie down - first Victor Obinna found himself in space beyond Argentina's far post but shanked his shot, and then a clearance from Javier Mascherano hit the shins of Ebeneezer Ajilore and rolled inches wide.
The game was alive, and after both Ajilore and Emmanuel Ekpo failed to connect at Argentina's near post with Romero AWOL, the South Americans almost grabbed a second. Messi's wonderful run and dribble ended with a pass to Aguero, and only a desperate lunge from Apam deflected his shot wide.
0 comments:
Post a Comment