Argentina secured a 3-1 victory against Iraq in Lyon, bouncing back from their tumultuous opening defeat to Morocco in the Olympic men’s football tournament.
Argentina took the lead in the 14th minute with a volley from Thiago Almada, assisted by Julián Álvarez, but Iraq’s captain Aymen Hussein equalized just before halftime with a stunning header.
Substitute Luciano Gondou gave Argentina their lead back with a close-range strike, followed by a fantastic goal from Ezequiel Fernández six minutes before the end to seal the win for Argentina. The gold medallists from 2004 and 2008 now sit at the top of Group B on goal difference, with all four teams tied on three points after two matches.
In another match of the group, ten-man Ukraine achieved a thrilling 2-1 victory over Morocco in Saint-Étienne. Dmytro Kryskiv netted the first goal in the 22nd minute, but the momentum shifted just after the hour mark when Morocco’s Soufiane Rahimi, who scored twice against Argentina, was fouled in the box by Volodymyr Salyuk.
Salyuk received a straight red card after a VAR check, and Rahimi converted the resulting penalty. Morocco pressed forward, but Ukraine’s defense withstood numerous attacks, and in the 10th minute of injury time, Ihor Krasnopir scored a late winner to give Ukraine their first Olympic victory.
In Group C, Spain dominated the Dominican Republic with a 3-1 victory in Bordeaux, securing their place in the quarter-finals. Fermin López scored Spain’s opening goal, but Ángel Montes De Oca equalized with a header before halftime. Unfortunately for the underdogs, they went into the break a player down, with Edison Azcona receiving a red card for kicking out at Pau Cubarsi.
Alejandro Baena put Spain back in front with a deflected long-range strike in the 55th minute, and a tap-in from Miguel Gutiérrez confirmed the win. Spain is now at the top of the group, two points ahead of Egypt, who eliminated Uzbekistan’s chances of advancement with a 1-0 win in Nantes, courtesy of a lucky goal from Ahmed Koka in the 11th minute.
In Group D, Paraguay recovered from their 5-0 defeat to Japan in their first match with a 4-2 victory over Israel at the Parc des Princes. Marcelo Fernández scored twice, while Julio Enciso and Fabian Balbuena added goals in the second half.
