In the first round of the men's football team at the Olympic Games, Argentina's equalizing goal was not only disallowed for offside, but also because Morocco fans rushed to the field, causing the game to be interrupted for two hours, and the two sides played for another three minutes. In the second round against Iraq, in the face of this must-win game, Argentina did not drop the chain again; Almada, Gondu and Fernandez scored in quick succession as Argentina won 3-1.
Unlike Argentina, which lost in the first round, Iraq also conceded the first goal and reversed Ukraine to win the opener; In this tournament, Mascherano continued his 4-2-3-1 formation: Rulli in goal; Soler, Otamendi, Di Cesaray and Joaquin Garcia form the backline; Fernandes and Medina are two midfielders; Eze, Almada and Beltrán partnered with Alvarez in the attacking line.
After the start of the game, Argentina changed the state of the last slow heat, and the Iraq goal was a siege; In the 9th minute, Almada took a direct free kick to the goal, but unfortunately it was bravely defused by Hassan; In the 14th minute, Soler's cross from the left side was refracted on the defender, and Alvarez, who grabbed the point, turned his back to the goal and stopped the ball with his stomach to do it, and Almada shot into the net without stopping, 1:0! Almada, who recorded 13 goals and 16 assists in the United States major leagues last year, joined Botafogo on loan in the summer window and confirmed to join Lyon in Europe next winter.
In the 39th minute, Argentina continued to make a fuss on the left side, Soler crossed and immediately stepped forward to attract the defense, Alvarez received the ball and turned and passed again, and Almada pushed the far corner slightly wide; It's just that Argentina's instability still appeared, in half-time stoppage time, Ahmed Hassan adjusted on the left and then crossed decisively, and Ayman Hussein jumped high in front of the goal to beat Otamendi to grab a header to equalize, 1:1! In the last win over Ukraine, it was Ayman Hussein's goal that helped Iraq equalize, thus laying the foundation for Iraq's victory, and this game was his step up again.
In the second half, Mascherano made an early adjustment, and the high school striker Gondu came into play, and this adjustment did have an effect; In the 62nd minute, Soler organized an attack on the left side and sent a precise cross, and Gundu outflanked him at the back post and returned a powerful header, 2:1! In the South American qualifiers, it was Gondou's goal that helped Argentina repel Brazil, and this time he lived up to the trust of the little brother.
In the 71st minute, Gondu had a chance to score another goal, he cut in before the offside position, and his shot from a small angle was blocked, but he kicked it wide in the face of the opportunity to make up for the empty goal; In the 76th minute, Gundu played the role of fulcrum to protect the ball with his back, Giuliano Simeone burst into the penalty area from a tight angle and was blocked by the attacking Hassan and hit the side netting. Under the continuous pressure of Argentina, Iraq's back line was finally unable to hold on, and in the 87th minute, Fernandez pushed a ten-point corner at the top of the arc and successfully hit the top left corner of the goal, 3:1!
In the end, Argentina won 3:1 to avoid the embarrassment of early exit from the group; As long as they beat Ukraine in the final round, then Argentina will be assured of qualification.