Argentina resumed its Olympic campaign in men’s football by defeating Iraq 3-1 on Saturday in Lyon.
Argentina, one of the pre-tournament favourites, suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Morocco in their opening Group B game. marked by a field invasion of Moroccan fans and a two-hour delay.
While Iraq threatened to pull off another surprise when Aymen Hussein leveled the game in first-half stoppage time, goals from Luciano Gondou and Ignacio Fernandez sealed Argentina’s victory.
Thiago Almada, who Argentine coach Javier Mascherano said stole a watch when the the team’s training base was robbed earlier this week, he opened the scoring with a 14th-minute volley at the Stade de Lyon.
But Hussein’s header five minutes into the first break leveled the game before the break.
Gondou’s header at the far post in the 62nd minute restored Argentina’s lead and Fernandez fired a long-range shot from the edge of the box in the 85th minute.
The victory leaves Argentina level with Iraq and Morocco on three points. Morocco played Ukraine in a later match.
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AP Football Writer James Robson contributed to this report.
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