A confident Argentina will start favorites today against a tough Nigerian side, in what promises to be a great finish to the Beijing Olympics football competition, with both sides looking to win Olympic gold for the second time.
Victory today would not only give Argentina their second soccer gold medal but also make them the first team to win successive gold medals since Hungary took the Olympic title in 1964 and 1968.
The Argentines are certainly on a roll, unbeaten in eleven straight Olympic encounters. They won all six of their Athens matches to take the championship in 2004, and have won all five matches in Beijing so far.
They have the most exciting player in world football, Barcelona midfielder Lionel Messi, who will be watched from the stands by the man who has named him as his successor, the great Diego Maradona.
But the Nigerians are tough opponents who blend power with skill and will be no pushover. The only time Nigeria and Argentina have met before in Olympic competition was in the final of the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games when Nigeria won 3-2 to take gold. They are in no mood to let the Argentines take revenge.
Nigerian coach Samson Siasia, a former striker who scored for Nigeria against Argentina in the 1994 World Cup, told Xinhua yesterday that his players are eager to get onto the pitch. “No injuries, no suspension and the players are in high spirits. The boys are determined to do it.”
Both sides have hit the net ten times on their way to the final. Nigeria's top scorer is Victor Obinna with three goals, while for Argentina Sergio Agüero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Lionel Messi share the honors with two each. Another Nigerian to look out for is Chinedu Obasi Ogbuke who scored twice in the 4-1 semi-final win over Belgium.
Of Argentina's 2004 gold medal winners, only Liverpool's Javier Mascherano will be in their squad today.
(China.org.cn by John Sexton on August 23, 2008)