In a draw worthy of a World Cup Final, Argentina and Brazil played in the semi-finals of the Olympics. Both teams want to win the gold, as evidenced by the inclusion of veterans like Riquelme and Ronaldinho, and Dunga(coach of Brazil's senior side) even coached the Brazil team. However that was not enough, and Argentina beat the Brazilians 3-0 with a flurry of second half goals. After their third the game quickly turned ugly, with Lucas and Thiago Neves of Brazil getting red carded for tackles(I use the term loosely) of Javier Mascherano. The Brazilians will now face Belgium in the Bronze medal game after a 4-1 demolition at the hands of Nigeria. It was a shock to many(the roustabout included) that the Belgians made it this far. However the potent offense of the Super Eagles was too much for a Belgian defense missing their first choice center backs. The Nigerians could have put a few more in the net, and only a late strike from Laurent Ciman spoiled a perfect day.
While Messi put on his usual show, the real star of the Argentina-Brazil game was Sergio Aguero. It should be remembered that it was the presence of Aguero that allowed Atletico Madrid to sell Torres(that and a bundle of money from Liverpool that now seems too little). He didn't partner well with the Spaniard, but alongside Diego Forlan last year he scored 19 goals in La Liga. He got his goals against Brazil in poacher's fashion, chesting one shot in, directing another with his foot, and was the player fouled for a penalty kick that Riquelme converted. He is a prototypical Argentinian striker: short, quick, a great dribbler, and always making runs. He was a teammate of Messi and Gago as a kid, and with a FIFA World Youth Championship under their belts, it seems that they have their sights set on a gold medal, and next a World Cup.The other big news of the day was the announcement that John Terry will be the permanent captain of England. Capello has gotten a bit of criticism for preferring Terry over Rio Ferdinand, but he made it clear that Terry's outspoken personality won him the arm band. As Capello is a soft spoken man this seems a good choice to me. Rio is a great player, but there was talk before the last World Cup that he might not even start, and he has always seemed to complain more than lead.
One Liners
- Man City takes out £30 million loan against tv deal, just how you want to start off a new season
- Sunderland and Ferdinand quiet on £8 million bid, Anton trying to decide if he would rather have Keane yell at him or whoever will replace Curbishley
- Mutu dislocates elbow, no word if it was while lifting very heavy bad of drugs
- Toronto FC accept $5 million for youngster Edu from Rangers, will he get a pesky work permit?
- Mbia asks Rennes to accept Everton deal, Moyes shocked that he might sign somebody this transfer season
