Argentina knocked out of Rio 2016 Olympics

16

The two time champions of the tournament have been knocked out of the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Argentina, back to back winners in 2004 and 2008 drew 1-1 against Honduras and were not able to make it out of the group. The team is eliminated due to goal difference with Honduras and group leaders Portugal making it to the next round. Without team captain Victor CUESTA, the team missed a few chances in front of goal, most notably the new West Ham player Jonathan CALLERI.

With the score at 0-0, goalkeeper Geronimo RULLI made a fantastic save which was later overshadowed by a penalty kick save just moments afterwards. Still at 0-0, it was Angel CORREA’s chance to give Argentina the lead as they were awarded a penalty kick but his shot did not go in.

Honduras took the lead (ironically enough through a penalty) but a deflected free kick by Mauricio MARTINEZ tied it at 1-1. However, they couldn’t score the second goal and the team got eliminated.

16 Comments

  1. It’s a sad state of affairs that in a group with Portugal, Honduras,Algeria and us and out of these two teams qualify and we are not there. This is unimaginable because we as a footballing nation we were the greatest and used to instill fear in our opponents. What a big fall! We have fallen so low. I don’t know how long this phase is going to last. Imagine not being able to beat Honduras

    • It’s tournament. Things aren’t so simple. In last World Cup our team was near to draw with Iran then reach the final. SOmetimes catastrophe from succes isn’t far. You need a bit of luck among others.

  2. got eliminated..

    well, thats often happens when you gather not best players
    and put clown on a manager’s place.

    PS. several players are anyway interesting. Pavon, Rulli, Ascacibar, Correa, Gomez.
    Basically good manager would win the games with this squad.

  3. Everybody who saw the match yesterday knows that at least we tried and went out on goal difference. Against a better team we would have lost because Honduras wasted so many counter attacks. Rulli saved our asses on several occasions. He is one of the players that will make it to the NT along with Ascacibar, who seems like the natural successor of Mascherano. Next to those two we have of course Dybala and Icardi to build on. The World Youth Cup in New Zealand last year and this year’s Olympics however have proved we currently don’t have the huge talent pool available like earlier this century. Sure there are talented players like Tagliafico and Paredes, but at the same I wonder why the first hasn’t been picked up by one of the many European scouts travelling through South America all the time.

    The NT made it to several finals this century. I’m afraid we shouldn’t get our hopes up after WC 2018.

    • Richard, I agree with you mostly but, believe me, We have not any problem with generate talents. The source is still productive. Believe someone who keeps still eye on the point since 1990s. It’s still the highest level and I don’t think the source will dry in future.

      It’s problem with management. Besides We all know how often triumphs of youngster teams never translated in successes on senior level and vice versa. I’m not mean only about our NT and current players. Look: we won WC-U20 in ’95, silver coin in Olimpic Games ’96 and gold medal U-20 WC in ’97. And what the generation won in senior football?

      • Gonzalo, hopefully you’re right. What gets me worrying is the fact that players like Calleri get called up. This guy is a disaster and even worse than Luciano Figueroa who figured in the Confed 2005.

        Batigol was great when he was just 21, so was Crespo. The team that won the copa in 1991 had very young players. With a few exceptions I do not see that level of play anymore in this day and age. It’s not only Argentina but others countries too. All the time kids spent on the streets playing football in the seventies and eighties nowadays is spent on online games, social media etc. Less practice during teenage years means less quality come your twenties. Another issue that bothers Argentina (and Brazil) is that players are bought by big, wealthy clubs and sit on the bench as stand ins. How many minutes did Correa and Vietto play at Atletico or Caballero at City?

        • Calleri disaster no one could have foreseen. My first intuition about this player in his Boca times was “nothing special” but then people promote him to big star knowing him only by rabona goals… But I wanted him in Olimpic Games too.
          It’s not a problem when Calleri or any other player has dissappointed when we may always to find bunch of promising forwards in this nation. I don’t want to list them here now but they are in my head and I know before Olimpic Games that they are more talented than this klutz Calleri. But even Calleri can do better no doubt.

          • Don’t forget Calleri was best goalscorer last edition of Copa Libertadores so no wonder he was No.2 after Icardi to go on Olimpics.

            In Argentina is false conviction that we needn’t to care much about youngster because they are born even on a stone. Springing even from falling into financial ruin clubs.
            And it’s opposite to Germany where there are no so many talented youngsters but they are under care in their early years.

  4. I can’t help but feel that, long-term, this is a good thing.

    The AFA has to realise now that the youth team set-up is in dire need of an overhaul.

    If they continue to take the cheap and easy option, things are only going to get worse, so yeah… time to wake up and smell the coffee!

  5. Let us not lapse in extremities.
    We lack 1 goal to be in quarterfinal. Now try to realize some other in Calleri place and we have quarterfinal for sure. Game by game team was a bit better in attack and most important: they had a lot of chances to scored a lot of goals. 2 changes ( on No.9 and someone experienced in defence) and they might go far.

    Problem would be if they hadn’t creating chances to scored at all. Even against Portugal they had few occasions.

  6. does anyone here even care about olympics. i know i don’t.
    let them not win olympics.
    my theory is that, if you win olympics. you don’t win the world cup.
    so, this is good.
    from this olympics team, i only want rulli to be in russia.
    callerri, no. correa, no. others, no.

  7. Again Not sure if Honduras goal was penalty enough..but nevertheless we were shambolic..

    Well..we can debate Rulli miss was costly against portugal even if he had saved a million times..

    The only positive was Rulli..he is young and learning and for this miss,he will never forget..

Comments are closed.