Argentina’s quest to win Olympics 2024 has hit a major snag following their controversial defeat against Morocco in the opener, so they will treat their upcoming match as a must-win contest.
Because of the opening day loss, La Albiceleste have fallen to third in Group B, so they are under enormous pressure to pull out positive Olympics 2024 results from here on out, starting against Iraq this weekend.
In contrast, France and Spain won their openers against the United States and Uzbekistan, respectively. France will have three days to prepare for Guinea, while Spain are set to take on the Dominican Republic next.
There are four matches to be played on Saturday, and SBOTOP is here to preview the top three games on the schedule.
Argentina vs Iraq
Argentina were on the wrong end of one of the most shocking results in this year’s Olympics, as they lost 2-1 to Morocco on Wednesday.
The Atlas Lions got off to a great start by going up 2-0, courtesy of goals by Soufiane Rahimi, one from open play before halftime and one from the penalty spot four minutes into the second half.
Giuliano Simeone pulled one back for La Albiceleste in the 68th minute, and it looked like they were on their way to make a comeback.
Morocco were trying to hold on, and it looked like the spoils were about to be shared by both sides when Cristian Medina scored the equaliser for Argentina deep in injury time.
However, the match had to be paused after a bunch of furious Morocco fans ran on to the pitch and threw foreign objects from the stands. The crowd was told to leave the stadium, and the players had to wait before resuming the match.
The match resumed about an hour after the incident, and the referees made the controversial decision to disallow Medina’s goal. Morocco held on for the victory, much to the dismay of Argentina supporters, including Lionel Messi himself.
Iraq, on the other hand, staged a successful come-from-behind win against Ukraine, who were making their Olympic football debut.
Valentyn Rubchynskyi put Ukraine up 1-0 in the 53rd minute, but Iraq replied with goals from Aymen Hussein and Ali Jasim.
With the victory, Iraq are on top of Group B, and they can secure their passage to the next round with an upset win against Argentina.
Argentina will need a bounceback performance from Julian Alvarez, while Iraq will continue to rely on their talisman, Aymen Hussein.
Ukraine vs Morocco
Morocco can claim the top spot in Group B if they take care of business against Ukraine and if Iraq lose to Argentina this weekend.
Soufiane Rahimi is now the frontrunner for the Olympic Golden Boot after his brace against Argentina. Morocco fans are used to these types of performances from him, as the 28-year-old was the top goalscorer in the 2020 African Nations Championship, and he also represented the country well during the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup and the AFCON.
PSG’s Achraf Hakimi also fared well against Argentina, and he’ll be better against Ukraine this weekend.
Before the loss against Iraq, Ukraine were on a six-game winning streak, so they will look to get back on track against the Atlas Lions.
Dominican Republic vs Spain
Spain overcame a spirited effort by Uzbekistan to get their first win in Olympics 2024, while the Dominican Republic were held to a goalless draw by Egypt.
After a rough start in the opening minutes against Uzbekistan, La Roja got their act together and went 1-0 in the 29th minute when Marc Pubill scored on a free-kick by Abel Ruiz.
Barcelona youngster Pau Cubarsi gifted Uzbekistan the equaliser when he pulled down Mukhammadqodir Khamraliev during stoppage time of the first half, and AS Roma’s Eldor Shomurodov converted the penalty kick to make it 1-1.
After missing his first few opportunities in the final third, Sergio Gomez would finally score one for Spain in the 62nd minute with his beautiful ball past Abduvohid Nematov.
The Dominican Republic would’ve joined Spain at the top of Group C if their early goal was not ruled out by the referees. They found the back of the net in the 13th minute, but it was not counted due to a foul on Hossam Abdelmaguid in the build-up.
The Dominican Republic will aim to bounce back against Spain, but the Olympics 2024 odds say that they may see themselves at the bottom half of the group if Egypt take care of business against Uzbekistan.
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