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Argentina determined to make up for Copa calamity at Athens
Argentina are determined to make up for their agonising Copa America defeat to Brazil last month by winning Saturday's Olympic men's football final against Paraguay.
Argentina are determined to make up for their agonising Copa America defeat to Brazil last month by winning Saturday's Olympic men's football final against Paraguay.
Marcelo Bielsa's side were leading the Brazilians 2-1 with just eight seconds left only for Adriano to equalise in the third minute of stoppage time. His last-gasp strike took a bad-tempered final to a penalty shoot-out and Brazil prevailed 4-2.
The last time Argentina won a football trophy was in 1993 when they lifted the Copa America in Ecuador and if any extra motivation was needed the country has not won a gold medal in any event at the Olympics for 52 years.
They won their last gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Games.
"The Olympic Games are a great chance for us to make it up to the people," said striker Javier Saviola, who along with all but two members of the Argentina squad went to Peru for the Copa America.
"We haven't won anything for 11 years and it's about time that changed.
"We are very close to a gold medal. We have to be focused and prepared to fight for it."
Two-time silver-medallists Argentina reached the final by overcoming Italy 3-0, while Paraguay defeated Iraq 3-1.
Argentina striker Carlos Tevez, the tournament's leading goalscorer with seven goals, was confident of his side's chances in Saturday's showpiece at the Olympic stadium, the first all-South American final for 76 years.
"I believe we will take the gold medal," said the Boca Juniors marksman, whose touch and technique will inevitably secure a big-money move to a European club in the near future.
