Argentina bounced back from defeat to Morocco. They lost the first match by 1-2 goals. Argentina beat Iraq 3-1 in the second match. The win kept Lionel Messi’s country in the quarter-finals of Olympic football.
Argentina started attacking football against Iraq from the beginning. Coach Javier Mascherano dropped Julián Alvarez from the start. The team also gets the result. Thiago Almada scored 13 minutes after Alvarez’s pass.
Even after advancing, Argentina did not reduce the attack. Thiago and Christian Medina were launching one attack after another. Iraq also started to catch the game under pressure. They hit a few shots aimed at Argentina’s goal. But Iraq could not open the mouth of the goal. The game was heading towards the break. Just then, Aymen Hussain pushed Argentina. He scored in stoppage time. The two teams went into the break at 1-1.
Argentina started trying to score from the beginning of the second half. The coach made a few changes. As a result, Argentina’s game speed increases. They get the result. Luciano Gondou put Argentina ahead again in the 62nd minute. He scored from Kevin Zenon’s pass.
Iraq tried to equalize by scoring a goal. But Argentina did not play defensive football. As Iraq began to play open football, Argentina also began to have opportunities. Ezequiel Fernandez scored the team’s third goal in the 84th minute. Alvarez also added an assist for this goal. Iraq could not come back after falling behind by 1-3 goals. They have to leave the field after losing.
Argentina had to lose in the first match by the referee’s decision. Before the end of the game, Moroccan footballers got into trouble on the field. The game stopped for about two hours. Argentina’s goal was disallowed by the referee after the restart. That decision was criticized by Mascherano. Argentina came back to win this time after removing the controversy.
