Chapter 59: Selected to the Best Team

Humiliating old rivals Brazil by three goals, Argentina's way of qualifying was perfect, and the big win also made the Argentine Olympic boys excited, and they celebrated without regard for the feelings of their opponents. On the way out of the Beijing Workers' Stadium, the Argentine players celebrated the victory with singing and dancing after the game.

"A minute of silence for Brazil, they are already dead." The Argentine players sang the lyrics. "We're going to be champions." This is another popular celebratory slogan.

The bus carried the Argentine players out of the stadium through the crowd of cheering fans, while the Argentine players on the bus sang all the way, and many of their teammates, including Banega, Gago, Zabaleta and Lavezzi, sang triumphant songs along with Sant-Tiago.

It was a sleepless night for the Argentines, and after returning to the hotel to clean up, the Santilagos rushed to the bar together, there was still plenty of time to go until the final and as long as they didn't drink themselves to death today, it wouldn't have any impact on their preparations. In a pleasant atmosphere, even Santiago, who had not drunk alcohol for a long time, drank two glasses.

This game is also very important for him personally!

Two goals and three assists in four games, if you put aside Messi's personal aura and Riquelme's huge fan base, Santia is definitely the core of the Argentine Olympic team in terms of data. San Thiago himself believes that even if Argentina fails to win the gold medal in the end, his strength and value have been seen by everyone, which is the real purpose of his entry into the national Olympic team.

Not only Boca Juniors, but also the national team.

"Losing 3-0 to Argentina, the Brazilian failed to make it to the Bird's Nest to fulfill his last dream. Dunga's Brazilian Olympic team eventually lost at the Workers' Stadium and had to go to Shanghai to compete for the final bronze medal. The Brazilian had few chances throughout the game, the attack was blocked, the defence was under heavy pressure, and the final result was not surprising. “

Dunga's patience was only 60 minutes, and when Pato and Ruo came on, the Brazilian's attack picked up slightly, and the €22 million Pato also scored a goal, but unfortunately it was offside, and it all seemed to come too late. High-level coaches adapt to individual conditions, in fact, Cameroon had already alerted the Brazilians in the semi-finals, but Dunga stubbornly stuck to a routine, which also sowed the seeds of defeat in the end. “

"This time the match against the Argentines was unexpected by most people. What was supposed to be an evenly split duel turned into a slaughter, with the Brazilian youngsters not only suffering the humiliation of swallowing three eggs, but also paying the heavy price of the two receiving red cards. At the same time, Riquelme, the key player in both teams, added the icing on the cake with a penalty, while Ronaldo's only bright spot was hitting the post. “

The brutality of the Brazilians, who were behind, led to both Lucas and Neves being sent off with straight red cards. The Brazilian Olympic team, which reached the semi-finals of the Olympic Games for the fifth time, was forced to swallow its own bitter wine and once again missed out on the championship. Brazil lost to Argentina by three goals, the result and process are not normal, and the most fundamental reason is the players, especially Ronaldo and Diego, the absolute core of Brazil.

They had bright spots in the group stage and quarter-finals, but they were firmly contained, and it was clear that they were nowhere near as subtle as Riquelme and Santhiago, and it could even be said that Ronaldo barely threatened the defenders. The original design of the Trident Junior Ronaldo Diego Pato in this game really showed that there was no small gap between him and Riquelme Santhiago Messi. The Brazilian fans also sighed after the game: God tonight is the Argentine, help them with everything. “

"After the big defeat, the Brazilian team was frustrated, but in the end they had to fight for a bronze medal. On August 19, the day of the defeat of the national Olympic team, the football king Pele officially announced that he will serve as the ambassador of Brazil's bid for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, and devote himself to the Olympic bid. “

According to local Brazilian media reports, Brazilian President Lula said on the 19th that he had never been so furious in his life as he was today, because the Brazilian team was eliminated by the Argentine team in the Beijing Olympics. Lula told some lawmakers after watching the game: "I've never been so furious in my life. I saw a team that didn't want to win at all, and I didn't even get so angry with Corinthians in the most difficult times. It would be a shame to lose to Argentina like this. ”

At the same time, Lula even had to endure an untimely joke from a lawmaker who told the president that if the president could remove the current head coach, Dunga, he would agree to a bill proposed by the government.

"The Brazilian Olympic team lost 0:3 to its old rival Argentina in the semifinals of the Olympic Games held on the 19th, and could only compete with Belgium for the bronze medal. The goal of the Brazilian Olympic team to go to Beijing this time is to win the gold medal, because although Brazil has won the World Cup five times, it has never been crowned at the Olympics. “

Brazil's defeat was something no one expected, with Argentina beating Brazil 3-0 at the Beijing Workers' Stadium to be just one step away from defending their Olympic men's gold medal. Brazil, on the other hand, suffered the most painful defeat in the semi-finals. Neither in terms of process nor result, there is no reason for the Brazilians to shirk the responsibility for the defeat, and even the previously stable backline is facing a collapse in one game.

In the previous four games, Brazil's backline has kept the door open in a narrow 1-0 win over Belgium, a 5-0 win over New Zealand, a 3-0 win over host China, and a narrow 2-0 win over Cameroon in extra time. But when it came to defending champions Argentina, almost all the latent illnesses erupted overnight, and it was a pity that the illness came like a mountain. In fact, from the group stage to the quarter-finals, the Brazilians have not been under much pressure, which also masks the problems in the midfield from a certain angle.

The Argentines gradually gained the upper hand in midfield from the start, with Liverpool's Lucas and Manchester United's Anderson unable to withstand the opposition's pressure, barely coping from a defensive point of view, but struggling to support the front in attack. Lucas gradually played a regular role in Liverpool in the second half of last season, and his strength was recognized by all parties, but he entered the Olympic preparations shortly after the end of the season, which also affected his form somewhat, and Lucas's performance has been lackluster since the start of the Olympic men's football team.

If Lucas can carry the ball up defensively, or if Hernanes can make a difference, then Anderson's offensive ability should be unleashed. Although Anderson has not fully replaced Scholes at Manchester United, the Brazilian has performed well on occasional appearances last season, and he has also received praise from all aspects of the Premier League, but today's Anderson is completely crushed by the defense, and he is unable to support Diego and Ronaldinho, rather than a pure midfielder, and his defensive ability is difficult to perform under heavy pressure.

In contrast, Riquelme's high level of performance has been praised, and the continued highlights of Santhiago have also made fans full of expectations for his future, and through the Olympic Games, the attitude of Argentine fans who were previously uninterested in Santhiago has changed a lot. There is no way, compared to the geniuses of the same age, no one in the same position can stand out, which is of course due to his talent, but also because he has a clear understanding of himself after experiencing the ups and downs of Milan.

This is a unique experience for a genius of the same age, and it can be said that it has also become a valuable personal asset for Santiago, who was selected for the Olympic men's football team before the final, and Santiago was very calm in an interview with the media, but he was secretly excited after returning to the training base.

The reason is simple, that is, on the day of the end of the game, coach Batista had a not-so-brief exchange with Saint-Tiago, and Batista asked Saint-Tiago's thoughts on some matters for the national team, isn't that a clear hint? Santiago believes that once Argentina wins the gold, Batista, who has a lot of hope for the national team, will definitely call him up!

After all, compared to other players, he can be regarded as Mr. Batista's henchman!

On the other side of the moment, Brazilian coach Dunga is very uncomfortable, and the former Brazilian national team coach Luxemberg at the Sydney Olympics left class early because of his poor performance in leading the team to the Olympic Games, such a historical event continues to stimulate Dunga's sensitive nerves. Dunga is actually very worried about his position, and he can only focus on the World Cup qualifiers, even if there are three or four finals in the Olympics.

"Predictably, I'll face a lot of pressure and doubts next, but losing one game won't shake my belief and I need a period of calm thinking." In the face of pressure, Dunga chose to persevere, "On September 7, Brazil will play Chile in a World Cup qualifier, and I hope to win this game. ”

Two months ago, Brazil drew 0-0 at home to Argentina in a World Cup qualifier, which put Dunga under great pressure and is now looking to Ronaldo's return. "I'm sure he will bring more help to the Brazilian national team."

When it comes to the third-place final, Dunga was clearly disinterested, saying: "Our priority is to figure out what really happened against Argentina and then avoid the same mistakes in the next game. ”

In the other semi-final, Gillia thrashed Belgium 4-1, meaning Argentina will once again meet their old rivals, the African Eagles Nigeria, in the final. This will be a repeat of the final at Atlanta 1996, and Argentina will become the first team in 40 years to win back-to-back Olympic titles if they get their revenge.