Brazil hammered Bolivia 5-0 in World Cup qualifiers on Thursday, giving coach Tite his third successive win in the most convincing performance from the five-time world champions for some time. Bolivia had not won a World Cup qualifier away from home since 1993 but Brazil were still excellent, particularly in the first half, when they scored four of their five goals.
Pan-American champions Argentina defeated Poland 5-1 to set up a Champions Challenge semi-final with Belgium, who outplayed Canada 4-0 in the quarter-finals on Thursday. Argentina, at world No. 8 the highest-ranked team in the tournament, and Belgium have both already secured direct entry to the 2012 Olympic Games.
Lionel Messi is back in the Argentina squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Colombia after missing the last three due to injury in which his team have dropped seven points. Messi was named on Friday in coach Edgardo Bauza's 26-man squad and will captain Argentina away to arch-rivals Brazil in Belo Horizonte on Nov. 10 and at home against Colombia in San Juan five days later. Argentina have slipped down the South American group standings to fifth after a shock 1-0 home defeat by Paraguay and 2-2 draws with Peru and Venezuela, all without Messi.
Brazil and Argentina endured more frustration in the World Cup qualifiers with draws against Bolivia and Peru respectively.
Now, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo venturing into smaller leagues as they near the end of their brilliant careers, 2024 may finally be the year for the next in line in football royalty.
Lionel Messi scored a goal and played a role in the other as defending Olympic champions Argentina beat the Netherlands 2-1 in extra time on Saturday to reach the soccer semi-finals. Argentina will play Brazil in the semi-final in Beijing on Aug. 19. Nigeria will face Belgium in Shanghai in the other semi-final.
Diego Maradona said on Friday he would like to coach Argentina following the surprise resignation of Alfio Basile the previous day. 'I would be really delighted, who wouldn't, to coach the national team," he said in a telephone interview with the TyC Sports cable channel when asked if he would like a chance. '
Argentina will return to Olympic football next year after sealing victory in the South American under-20 qualifying tournament in Uruguay on Saturday.
Messi hopes to play in Tokyo friendly after Hong Kong letdown
Virtually assured of a quarterfinal spot after their morale-boosting win against Argentina, a buoyant India will face world number two side the Netherlands in a tough pool B clash in the Rio Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. After a close 3-2 win over Ireland in their opening match, India suffered a disappointing 1-2 loss against the reigning Olympic champions Germany but bounced back to notch up a 2-1 win against Argentina to remain among the top four in the six-team pool. The target now will be to finish the league stages as high as possible in the points table so as to avoid the world number one Australia in the last eight fixture.
Argentina coach Gerardo Martino expects Lionel Messi to be fit for his team's second Copa America Centenario fixture this week -- even if he is satisfied that the two-time world champions are adjusting to life without their injured superstar.
The football tournament at the Beijing Olympics bursts into life on Tuesday with a semi-final between two of the sport's fiercest rivals, Brazil and Argentina.
New Jersey awarded 2026 World Cup final, Mexico gets opener
High school students in Grand Bourg, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, pay tribute to Argentina's soccer superstar Lionel Messi by creating a giant portrait made of recycled bottle caps.
Arch-rivals Brazil and Argentina drew 0-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday but moved closer to leaders Paraguay who lost 4-2 in Bolivia. The top four teams qualify directly for South Africa in 2010 and the fifth plays off against the fourth team from the CONCACAF region.
Argentina has assured India that it will resolve the issue of restrictions on import of Indian drugs to the Latin American country.
Franz Beckenbauer who captained the team to World Cup victory in 1974 then won the tournament again as manager in 1990, has died at the age of 78, German news agency DPA reported on Monday.
Argentina, helped by a majestic Juan Roman Riquelme performance, maintained their perfect record in the World Cup qualifiers on Saturday while Ecuador coach Luis Fernando Suarez quit after a 5-1 loss to Paraguay. Riquelme scored two second half goals, including an exquisite free kick, in a 3-0 win over Bolivia which left Argentina with nine points from three games in the South American group.
Raucous home support for holders Argentina did not make up for the absence of Juan Martin del Potro and Federico Delbonis on Friday as they fell 2-0 behind to Italy in the first round of the Davis Cup.
Argentina's hopes of making the quarter-finals of Copa America suffered a huge setback when they were held to a goalless draw, this time by Colombia, on Wednesday.
Argentina, bidding to end a trophy drought, kicked off the 43rd Copa America with a disappointing 1-1 draw with minnows Bolivia at La Plata outside Buenos Aires.
'It is over and I can clearly state without fear of being contradicted that Maradona has never been a tax evader.'
Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero struck two goals apiece in Argentina's 7-0 romp against an out-of-sorts Bolivia while Mexico were held 3-3 by Trinidad & Tobago in friendlies in the United States on Friday.
Dominic Thiem defeated qualifier Facundo Bagnis of Argentina 6-4, 7-5 in the first round of the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag
Argentina put behind a dismal first half to beat Algeria 4-3 in a friendly international.
Angel Di Maria scored in the dying minutes of extra-time to give Argentina a 1-0 victory over Switzerland and a place in the last eight of the World Cup in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.
Its diplomats and officials are quick to present world leaders with jerseys autographed by soccer star and Argentina's World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi, much to the recepient's delight.
Argentina routed Peru 4-0 while Mexico thrashed 10-man Paraguay 6-0 at the Copa America football tournament.
In August, the top BRICS leaders at the grouping's summit in Johannesburg approved a proposal to admit six countries, including Argentina, into the bloc with effect from January 1.
Former Argentina boss Marcelo Bielsa resigned as manager of Lazio after just two days in charge, the Italian Serie A club said in a statement on Friday.
Argentina skipper Lionel Messi has said that "in principle" last year's World Cup would be his fifth and final appearance.
Argentina produced their best performance of the Copa America so far to crush Paraguay 6-1 and set up a classic final against hosts Chile.
While play resumed on Court One, it remained suspended on Centre, until, somewhat bizarrely, the roof, completed in a blaze of publicity in 2009, was re-opened and the match resumed after a 70-minute hiatus.
Chile, Argentina, Nigeria and Mexico went through to the quarter-finals of the Under-20 World Cup with victories on Thursday.
Veteran Jorge Lombi scored a hat-trick as Argentina beat New Zealand 3-2 to win the Champions Challenge men's hockey tournament.
Big soccer rivals Argentina and England could play a friendly on February 9, 2011, the man responsible for organising the South American team's international calendar said on Thursday.
Manchester United have signed Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero on a three-year deal, the club said on Sunday.
Carlos Tevez laid on two goals and scored a third as Argentina beat world champions Spain 4-1 in a friendly at the Monumental on Tuesday.
Argentina's new coach Edgardo Bauza has set his mind to wooing Lionel Messi back from international retirement as he ponders his squad for next month's South American 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Bauza was named on Monday to replace Gerardo Martino, who resigned a month ago after steering Messi's side to two successive Copa America finals which ended in penalty shootout defeats to Chile.
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