The 2024 Paris Olympics have officially begun, and there is a full day of men's soccer Saturday.
Soccer has actually been underway for a few days already, with a couple group matches out of the way. At the Olympics for men's soccer, the senior national teams do not compete. Instead, most countries send their Under-23 men's national teams to take the stage. That means many big-name players, such as Lionel Messi, will not be there. However, it is a great opportunity to see young stars in action and evaluate countries' talent for the future.
The U.S. men's national team, Argentina and host France are among the most interesting teams competing Saturday. Follow live updates, scores and highlights below.
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Their first game was memorable for all the wrong reasons. But Argentina is back on track at the Paris Olympics. Thiago Almada, Luciano Gondou and Ezequiel Fernández each scored goals to help Argentina beat Iraq 3-1 on Saturday.
It was a far cry from the dramatic, 2-1 loss they endured to Morocco earlier this week after fan interference and a two-hour VAR disallowing a goal and draw. Argentina, Morocco and Iraq each have three points in Group B, ahead of Ukraine with zero points.
Fermín López, Álex Baena and Miguel Gutiérrez scored as Spain cruised to a 3-1 win over the Dominican Republic. Spain takes command in Group C with six points ahead of Egypt, Uzbekistan and DR.
Argentina will cruise to victory in their second match after Ezequiel Fernández scored in the 85th minute to secure a 3-1 lead over Iraq.
Luciano Gondou's header in the 62nd minute has given Argentina a 2-1 lead over Iraq in the second half.
Fermin Lopez opened scoring for Spain in the 24th minute, but the Dominican Republic responded with a 38th-minute goal from Angel Emmanuel. Then, disaster struck and the DR received a red card. Edison Azcona was forced to exit the match after kicking up at an opponent. They will play a man down the rest of the match. Spain retook the lead in minute 55 with a goal from Alejandro Baena. Miguel Gutiérrez scored in the 70th minute for Spain.
Aymen Hussein's header against Argentina's right post was impossible for the goalkeeper to reach. Ahmed Hassan with the assist in stoppage time before halftime.
Thiago Almada shot from the left side to open scoring in the 13th minute. Julián Álvarez got the assists after chesting the ball down to the ground for Almada.
No. Messi is not playing with Argentina. Neymar is not playing with Brazil. And Kylian Mbappe is not playing with France.
The Olympic soccer tournament is an under-23 affair, despite three players over the age of 23 allowed on each team.
Messi has an ankle injury after Copa America, but was not going to play. Neymar is still recovering from knee surgery. Mbappe, although healthy, is with Real Madrid.
Argentina was a gold-medal favorite entering the Olympics but finds itself in a difficult position entering this match after the video reply fiasco during their group play opening loss to Morocco.
A win is a must to get back into position to advance past the group stage, so Argentina will be coming out motivated. Iraq beat Ukraine in its opener, so it atop the Group B table with Morocco, both with three points.
Unruly soccer fans disrupted an Olympic match between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday, turning a 2-2 draw to a 2-1 win for Morocco after Argentina’s late goal scored was disallowed after video review.
The chaotic scene created shockwaves, especially with players from both teams re-emerging to finish the match in an empty stadium after a delay of about two hours.
Referees took away the equalizer from Cristian Medina, after VAR showed Argentina was offside. The teams played for three minutes and 15 seconds after VAR completed its review and disallowed the goal.
"The biggest circus I’ve ever seen in my life," Argentina coach Javier Mascherano said.
The rule came to be in advance of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. At the time, the Olympics was undergoing fundamental changes, shifting from a strictly amateur event to one that allowed professional athletes to compete (the 1992 Games, perhaps most famously, featured the "Dream Team").
Given that switch, FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, put various barriers in place for players competing in the Olympics, which it didn’t want to possibly usurp the World Cup as the premier international soccer showcase. One of those measures was an age restriction. Additionally, since the Olympics are not a FIFA-sanctioned competition, club teams have the right to deny a player from taking part. Many clubs will forbid their players from competing in the Olympics and the Euros or Copa America in a single summer.
This reality makes men’s soccer drastically different than women’s soccer at the Olympics, as the women’s side has no such age limits. Read more.
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