2008 Men’s Olympic Football Quarter-Final Line Up

And just like that, the group stage of the 2008 Men’s Olympic Football tournament is over.

The quarter-finals look like this:

Nigeria vs Cote d’Ivoire
Italy vs Belgium
(winners play each other)

Argentina vs Netherlands
Brazil vs Cameroon
(winners play each other)

All matches on August 16th.

Highlights from the final round of group games below (USA fans look away now.)

Argentina 2-0 Serbia - Group A


The albiceleste bear Siberia 2-0 to top Group A with three wins out of three. Angel Di Maria will be embarrassed with his missed pen, but Diego Buonanotte has a nice free kick to add to his highlight reel.

Cote d’Ivoire 1-0 Australia - Group A


Salamon Kalou banged one into the top right corner to give the Ivorians a 1-0 win, and a place in the quarterfinals.

Nigeria 2-1 USA - Group B




The USA paid for their disciplinary problems in this one. Already shorn of the suspended Michael Bradley and Freddy Adu and in need of a result against Nigeria, they lost left back Michael Orozco in the third minute to a foolish elbow. Goals from Isaac Promise and Obinna Nsofor put Nigeria top of Group B, while an 88th minute Sacha Kljestan penalty was all the US had to show for the days work.

Netherlands 1-0 Japan - Group B


Following his dramatic last minute free kick equalizer on Sunday, Gerald Sibon had more bad news for the USA this morning. His penalty giving the Netherlands a 1-0 win over Japan, so one more point than the USA and a place in the last eight.

Belgium 1-0 New Zealand - Group C


This Faris Haroun header was enough to secure second place in Group C for Belgium. Maybe Hamburg will let Vincent Kompany stick around a little longer now?

Brazil 3-0 China - Group C


Ronaldinho put Diego through for the first, and Thiago Neves added two more (a free kick and a blink and you’ll miss it low shot) to make it three-nil and three out of three for Brazil. It still made Bruno sleepy though.

Italy 0-0 Cameroon - Group D


These two shared a goalless draw that put them both through. Italy finished top, Cameroon second.

South Korea 1-0 Honduras - Group D
Kim Dong-Jin scored a great goal with his right foot - apparently - to give Korea a 1-0 win. But Italy and Cameroon’s goalless draw meant Korea never had a shot at making the quarters. Honduras go home three defeats and CONCACAF is left thinking that Mexico would have represented the region a lot better.

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Ronaldinho is Back! Men’s Olympic Football Matchday Two Round-Up

Olympic football videos are getting harder to come by, but that doesn’t mean I’m about to give up. Not when it’s just starting to get interesting.

‘Dinho himself is showing some form (as is Pato, Anderson and the rest of the Brazil team), Argentina are getting it done, and Italy are absolutely on fire (in a good way) in Group D.

Argentina 1-0 Australia - Group A

Argentina left it late-ish again, but a nice move with Riquelme at the heart of it was eventually finished (emphatically) by Ezequiel Lavezzi in the 76th minute. And Argentina say hallo to the quarters.

Cote d’Ivoire 4-2 Serbia - Group A


There’s no video with all six goals, but you can see all six separate vids on one page over at TVGolo. I’ve chosen my favourite (above) as Salomon Kalou’s fpr Cote d’Ivoire. Love the turn and quick one-two with Gervinho.

USA 2-2 Netherlands - Group B


Don’t be fooled by the above video. While the US did indeed come from one Ryan Babel goal down to take a 2-1 lead through Sacha Kljestan (great through ball slash nutmeg from Freddy Adu) and Jozy Altidore (off the bench to poach a goal like a proper striker), Netherlands made it 2-2 with a late Gerald Sibon free kick. USA WCB is not happy, but still a decent result.

Nigeria 2-1 Japan - Group B
No video to show you, sorry kids. But I have it from high authority that Nigeria won 2-1 with goals from Victor Obinna and Victor Anichebe. Which means Nigeria’s game against the USA will be do or die for both teams (both on four points) and that Japan (with zero points) aren’t out yet, but are pretty much f*cked. Asian teams have done surprisingly badly in Beijing so far.

Brazil 5-0 New Zealand - Group C


OK, so it was only against an inexperienced New Zealand side, but Ronaldinho scored twice (one free kick and one from the spot) and apparently pulled the strings as Brazil ran out 5-0 winners. Now if only New Zealand’s U-23 team played in Serie A…

Belgium 2-0 China - Group C


Moussa Dembele and Kevin Mirallas gave Belgium a 2-0 win, while China had two men sent off. The hosts now need a result against Brazil in the final group game to avoid an early exit. Good luck with that.

Italy 3-0 S Korea - Group D


Goals from Tommaso Rocchi, Giuseppe Rossi and Riccardo Montolivo gave Italy another 3-0 win and a place in the quarters. That’s six goals in two games now and the Azzurrini are looking dangerous.

Cameroon 1-0 Honduras - Group D
Apparently it was all Cameroon, but they didn’t get the winner until the 74th when Stephane Mbia blasted one with his right foot. Honduras are down and out, but Cameroon can still go through with a result against Italy, depending on what Korea do against Honduras.

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2008 Men’s Olympic Soccer Tournament Matchday One Roundup

The odd thing about the Olympic football tournament is that all the games seem to happen at once, rather than being spread out evenly as in other tournaments.

There are reasons for this, obviously, and for once they’re nothing to do with Sepp Blatter or the Court of Arbitration for Sport. I assume it’s basically because there’s much going on - including the parallel women’s soccer tournament - that the hosts need the venues for other events.

Can’t argue with that, but the upshot is nearly a weeks worth of tournament football in one Olympic evening. Which is quite a lot to take in.

I’ve done my best to put together a round up of all the action below, with video where possible (and assuming the ones I’ve posted haven’t been taken down by the overzealous authorities.) So read on for all the results and (hopefully) some video.

Australia 1-1 Serbia - Group A

Ruben Zadkovich and his dodgy faux hawk (are those things still fashionable somewhere?) gave the Olyroos the lead from a narrow angle, but young Chelsea defender Slobodan Rajkovic equalized for Serbia with a 78th minute header. Obviously Australia didn’t read our 20 Players to Watch post yesterday.

Argentina 2-1 Cote d’Ivoire - Group A

Leo Messi struck first for Argentina, running on to a beauty of a through ball from Juan Roman Riquelme. Sekou Cisse equalized with an impressively powerful early second half header, but Lautaro Acosta by getting to the rebound of a Leo Messi shot.

Japan 0-1 USA - Group B

Looks like Japan had a couple of chances to take the lead, and maybe a shout at a late penalty. But Stuart Holden’s goal after a good run down the right from Marvel Wynne was enough for a US win.
Not a great performance, but our USA bloggers will take it.

Netherlands 0-0 Nigeria - Group B
The two potential medalists failed to produce any goals, which is lucky because I failed to find any video of the game. The Dutch apparently had Roysten Drenthe, Ryan Babel, Jonathan de Guzman and Roy Makaay all on the field at once but failed to score.

Brazil 1-0 Belgium - Group C

Brazil left it late, but in the 79th minute São Paulo midfielder Hernanes scored this fantastic goal for a 1-0 win. Ronaldinho wore the captain’s armband but didn’t make a huge impact, though he made a threatening dribble down the left and had a free kick on target.

Belgian captain Vincent Kompany was apparently having a great game before being sent off for a second booking. And three minutes after Kompany got his marching orders, Hernenaes scored. Belgium also had Merouane Fellaini sent off towards the end to finish with nine men.

As Bruno says on Brazil Offside “Dunga’s ass was saved for the day, thanks to Hernanes and the ref.”

China 1-1 New Zealand - Group C

Jeremy Brockie broke the hosts offside trap for this great near post strike…

… but Man Utd benchwarmer Dong Fangzhuo came off the Chinese pine to equalize with a great header.

Honours even then, but these two could easily be the Group C whipping boys.

Honduras 0-3 Italy - Group D

Someone in Italy must be keen to keep 21 year old Sebastian Giovonco under wraps, because this video was a bitch to find. The tiny (seriously) Juventus pulled all the strings for Italy, including scoring an absolute beauty with his left foot to make it 1-0 Penalties from Giuseppe Rossi and Acquafresca made the final score 3-0.

Reaction from the Italy blog here.

South Korea 1-1 Cameroon - Group D

Park Chu Young put Korea ahead with this free kick, that seemed to evade everyone and everything but the bottom right corner of the goal.

But Georges Mandjeck equalize for Cameroon in the 81st minute with this strike.

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Turkey ranked 13th in FIFA’s ranking

Turkey has climbed from 14th into 13th place in the latest world soccer ranking published by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA).

The first twenty teams in FIFA’s latest world ranking are as follows (previous position shown in brackets):
1. Spain (1) 1,557
2. Germany (3) 1,343
3. Italy (2) 1,320
4. Netherlands (5) 1,299
5. Croatia (7) 1,282
6. Brazil (4) 1,242
7. Argentina (6) 1,219
8. Czech Republic (8) 1,146
9. Portugal (9) 1,122
10. Russia (11) 1,023
11. Romania (12) 1,021
12. France (10) 1,012
13. TURKEY (14) 1,010
4. England (15) 1,003
15. Cameroon (13) 994
16. Scotland (16) 988
17. Bulgaria (17) 930
18. Greece (18) 896
19. Ghana (20) 892
20. Israel (21) 876

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20 Players to Watch at the 2008 Men’s Olympic Soccer Tournament

The 2008 Men’s Olympic Football Tournament starts tomorrow, so here’s our World Cup Blog Players to Watch guide.

It’s 10 big names who you probably already know, and 10 guys you might not know yet but should look forward to seeing anyway.

10 You Know

Ronaldinho (Brazil) - attacking mid
2008 could be the year R10 is reborn, following his move from Barca to AC Milan. If he brings out the skills in Beijing, then all the jokes about his weight and the suggestions that he’s past it will be forgotten.

Alexandre Pato (Brazil) - forward
Ronaldinho’s young Milan teammate lived up to (and maybe even surpassed) all expectations on both his Serie A and Seleção debuts last year. This will be Pato’s first tournament, so expect him to do the same again.

Diego (Brazil) - attacking mid
Regularly lights up the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen, but usually overshadowed by Kaka in a yellow shirt. With Kaka staying in Milan this August, there should finally be space in the spotlight for Diego.

Leo Messi (Argentina) attacking mid / forward
You don’t need me to tell you how good Leo Messi is. And the little Barcelona player is already the talk of the tournament, with Argentina and Barcelona at loggerheads over whether he should be there at all. But even if we don’t see Messi kick a ball in Beijing, his case is likely to cause a major rethink of exactly how Olympic football works.

Juan Roman Riquelme (Argentina) - attacking mid
Say what you like about him: he’s lazy, he’s selfish, he’s a bit of an oddball, but when on his game this man is a joy to watch. And he will see plenty of the ball in Beijing because - Leo Messi or not - Argentina’s gameplan will revolved around Riquelme

Sergio Aguero (Argentina) - forward

Doesn’t get the same headlines as Leo Messi, but the similarly statured (ie tiny) striker has been banging in goals for Atletico Madrid in La Liga.

Freddy Adu (USA) - left mid/attacking mid/forward
We’re pretty sure now that Freddy Adu is not, in fact, the new Pele. He’s never even threatened to a consistent run of form. But he’s still a talented young player with a whole career ahead of him and a lot to prove. Showed us a bit of what he can do at the U-20 World Championships last year, so this is his chance to play against adults.

Salomon Kalou (Cote d’Ivoire) - winger/forward
In and out of the Chelsea team and always overshadowed by Drogba on the national team. The Olympics will see Kalou front and center as the Elephants main man.

Taye Taiwo (Nigeria) - left back

There’s only one thing to say about the Marseille left back and his turbo-charged left foot: Don’t get in the way.

Giuseppe Rossi (Italy) - striker
Not the most popular striker in the USA right now, after shunning his birth country for the land of his parents. After rotting in the Man Utd reserves for a few years, 21 year old Rossi has just had a decent first season in La Liga where he scored 11 goals for Villarreal.

10 You Might Not Know

Slobodan Rajkovi? (Serbia) - defender
As rich as Chelsea may be, they don’t splash out insane cash for the helluva it. So when Rajkovic was snapped up for a world record as a 16 year old for 5.2m, it made a bit of noise. Still only 19, he’s undoubtedly one of the defenders to keep an eye on for the tournament.

Takayuki Morimoto (Japan) - striker

Japan’s Ronaldo (fat one), as he’s been called, was the island nation’s greatest young hope when he moved to Catania in Serie A as a 17 year old. Five minutes into his Italian debut he scored a goal and a legend was born. Won’t be long before he’s the best player for Japan’s senior team, much less the Olympic edition.

Ángel Di María (Argentina) - winger

Caught the eye as one of the main men (or boys?) in Argentina’s U-20 triumph last summer. Benfica liked him so much they coughed up €6m. The above vid is what he did for Benfica in 2008.

Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) - attacking mid

The mighty midget looks like an alien, but plays like one as well. At only 21, he is already one of the most skilled, dynamic and dangerous players in the whole of Serie A. Essentially the point guard of whatever team he plays for because the ball is on his foot roughly half the game. One of the shining jewels of Italy.

Andrea Russotto (Italy) - attacking mid

Giovinco gets the pub, but experts seem to think Russotto is the heir to Totti’s throne as Italy’s true #10. Likened to Messi and Baggio, what sets Russotto apart is his otherwordly vision and skill on the ball.

Jozy Altidore (USA) - forward
The young American striker is basically having Freddy Adu’s career. Banged in MLS goals for New York Red Bulls and secured a recent move to La Liga with Villarreal. Skill, strength, pace and an eye for goal. But apparently not gelling well with Brian McBride.

Jonathan de Guzmán (Netherlands / Feyenoord) - winger
Canadian born, but never keen to wear a maple leaf. De Guzmán has been impressing in the Eredivisie with Feyenoord and recently became a Dutch citizen. This will be his first chance to impress on a big stage in Oranje.

Dong Fangzhou (China) striker
And not just because he has a hilarious first name, the Chinese striker is on the books at Man Utd. OK, so he’s only played one league game since arriving at Old Trafford, but did bang 18 goals in 28 games while on loan at Royal Antwerp. And if the host nation do well, then expect Fangzhou to be involved.

Royston Drenthe (Netherlands / Real Madrid) - left winger/left back
The dreadlocked one was the talk of the 2007 U-21 European Championships, where his performances secured a move to Real Madrid. Spent the back end of last season either on the bench or out of the squad altogether, so will be keen to remind everyone what he can do.

Vincent Kompany (Belgium)

Big (and we mean big - he’s 6′3″) Belgian centre back who currently plays in the Bundesliga for Hamburg. There was a bit of a tug of war over the 22 year old between Belgium and Hamburg but he’s now got clearance to eat opposition Olympic strikers for breakfast in Beijing. And not just a defender, he’s got some tricks too.

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