DECINES-. The champion of the world Argentina He got rid of his complexes after a failed debut in the Paris Olympics and put themselves back in the medal race by beating Iraq 3-1 on Saturday.
Thiago Almada, Luciano Gondou and Ezequiel Fernández scored the goals at the Stade de Lyon that gave Javier Mascherano’s team the first three points in Group B, which will determine the two teams that qualify next Tuesday.
A victory was imperative for the Albiceleste after the bitter 2-1 defeat against Morocco in a duel that ended in scandal. The South Americans had tied the match in the last minutes of extra time and there was an invasion of Moroccan fans, who also threw objects at the opposing players. The match continued two hours later without fans and the Argentine goal was disallowed by decision of the VAR.
The Albiceleste took the lead in the 13th minute with a play that began with a cross into the area from the left. Julián Álvarez brought the ball down with his chest for Almada to finish with a first-time cross shot.
The Asians, who had beaten Ukraine 2-1 in their opening game, equalised just before the break. Hasan Ahmed sent a venomous cross into the box which was headed home by captain Hussein Aymen, who had been ahead of captain Nicolas Otamendi.
Convinced that a draw was the way to go and betting on the desperation of the Argentines, Iraq faced the second half retreating into their own half.
With no room for another setback, Mascherano opted for three forwards with the introduction of Gondou and added midfielder Kevin Zenón. Both were protagonists of the second goal in the 62nd minute.
Zenón, with a good shot, launched a venomous cross into the area that Gondou capitalized on with an unstoppable header. The Argentinos Juniors striker had been key to Argentina’s qualification for Paris by giving them a victory over their classic rival Brazil in the pre-Olympic tournament in February.
Fernández sealed the victory with a subtle left-footed shot into the corner from the edge of the area in the 84th minute, after a previous play with several touches.
Later, Morocco (3) faced Ukraine (0), Argentina’s next rival.
Source: AP
