A Lionel Messi masterclass, netting a brilliant free kick before laying on two more goals, put Argentina's World Cup qualifying campaign back on track with a resounding 3-0 win over Colombia in San Juan on Tuesday.
World Cup bronze medallists Argentina stunned Olympic champions Germany 3-0 in their concluding Pool B match to end their league engagements in the Hero Champions Trophy hockey tournament, in Bhubaneswar, on a high note.
The 49-year-old said he had run out of energy after six years in the high-pressure job.
Uruguay beat second-placed Argentina 1-0 in Wednesday's qualifier to clinch fifth position.
The G20 leaders will deliberate on pressing global issues at the grouping's annual summit here on September 9 and 10. India is hosting the summit in its capacity as the current G20 chair.
Argentina have moved to the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time in seven years despite being beaten by Chile in the Copa America final.
Lionel Messi began the second phase of recovery from the injury that has sidelined the Barcelona forward until next month with a physiotherapy session at Argentina's training complex on Monday.
Bolivia ended Argentina's 100 percent record under Diego Maradona in style by thrashing them 6-1 at high altitude in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
Manchester United's Angel Di Maria has been voted Argentina's foreign-based player of the year by the country's sports journalists.
Carlos Tevez missed a first-half penalty as Argentina slumped to a 2-0 defeat away to Ecuador in their World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
The rest of Barcelona's squad will have to do "a little bit more" to make up for the absence of five-times World Player of the Year Lionel Messi for the next three weeks, according to captain Andres Iniesta.
Not only the senior team but the young Blue Colts also emerged victorious in the SAFF Men's U-19 champions after hammering Pakistan in the final and clinching a vigorous 3-0 victory.
Barcelona striker Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid forward Sergio Aguero have been included in Argentina's squad for the Beijing Olympics.
The Brazilian Grand Prix at Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit could be axed after this season due to the country's economic crisis, Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Saturday.
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.
'I think obviously my choice would be England to win the competition, but that's me being biased and passionate about my country'
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.
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.
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.
India will play Germany on June 8 in their next match at the same venue.
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.
Zhang Jiao, after realising her dream of witnessing Argentina soccer great Lionel Messi lift the World Cup every match he plays from now on is "precious".
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.
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.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the Wimbledon Championships, at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, on Tuesday.
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.
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.
Tommy Paul led a parade of seeded players into the quarterfinals on Wednesday at the Adelaide International in Australia.
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.
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.
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.
Argentina put behind a dismal first half to beat Algeria 4-3 in a friendly international.
In a significant move, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has accorded approval for the procurement of more than 200 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and associated equipment for the Indian Navy at a cost of around Rs 19,000 crore, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
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.
