Brazil will not defend its Olympic title in men’s football in Paris this year after losing, once again, 1-0 to its rival Argentina on Sunday (11).
No decisive game, Luciano Gondou scored the winning goal for the Argentine U-23 team coached by Javier Mascherano.
Brazil won gold in men’s football at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020.
The South American Olympic qualifiers for men’s football offered two spots in Paris, where the men’s tournament starts on July 24. Paraguay topped the group stage table with seven points from three matches after a 2-0 victory on Sunday against Venezuela. The Paraguayan team, which did not have stars like its two biggest continental rivals, also defeated Brazil to secure its spot in France.
Argentina finished the tournament with five points, two more than Brazil, which only managed to beat Venezuela in the final stage.
Brazil will miss the men’s Olympic tournament for the first time since 2004.
Argentina, in turn, is seeking its third Olympic title after winning in 2004 and 2008. Lionel Messi may return to the Olympics this summer. For that, Argentina would have to use one of its three spots in the roster for over-age players, and Inter Miami, Messi’s current team, would have to agree to let him play.
Inter Miami is expected to make Messi available for the three weeks of the Copa América, which is hosted in the U.S. this year and ends two weeks before the Olympics.
If Messi is on Argentina’s roster for the Copa América, Inter Miami may be less inclined to allow him to extend his absence from the club by also participating in the Olympics in Paris.
Source: AP and NBC Sports