In the second round of Group B of the Olympic men's soccer tournament, the Argentinean men's soccer team suffered an unexpected defeat, and the Iraqi men's soccer team thus locked up three points. Despite the star-studded Argentinean lineup, which included superstars such as Zulian Ivaris, Oda Venditti, and Tiago Almeida, they failed to live up to their expectations, especially in the attacking end of the field, and their chances of scoring against the Iraqi defense were not promising.
Argentina's match against Morocco was marred by problems in the midfield, with star player Zulian Ivaris in a slump and a lack of bright spots in the offense. Coach Mas Januarano seems to have failed to learn the lessons from last year's U20 Americas group stage, and the team's situation has not improved. In addition, the Argentine team was boycotted by the French fans due to the incident of "racist song" by Anselmo Fernandes, and suffered a crazy scene in the first match against Morocco. Although Argentine President Mireille may intervene to mediate, it will undoubtedly bring more psychological pressure to the young players. Moreover, Argentina's young internationals have not had enough firepower recently, scoring less than two goals in three of their last four Olympic group matches.
The Iraqi men's soccer team beat Ukraine 2-1 in their opening match to set the stage for qualification. Facing a strong Argentina, Iraq is expected to hold their ground on the defensive end. Argentina is expected to have limited scoring chances in the match if they want to break down the Iraqi defense, so a goal of 2.5 goals might be more realistic.
