Revenge, served hot

The Argentine players huddled near midfield after the match and chanted to celebrate. The Argentines also did some celebrating inside the team’s bus as it was ready to leave the stadium, jumping around and singing together.

Argentina, trying to become the first nation to win consecutive titles in 40 years, will now face Nigeria in a rematch of the 1996 final in Atlanta, when the Africans won 3-2 for their first and only title.

Brazil will have to wait at least another four years to try to win their first Olympic gold medal. It is the only significant title the five-time world champions have never won. The match in front of a crowd of nearly 53,000 at Workers’ Stadium marked the encounter of the tournament’s top stars, former FC Barcelona team mates Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho.

Both players displayed their uncanny skills, but Messi threatened the most and created dangerous scoring chances for Argentina. In his first Olympics, the midfielder set up Argentina’s second and third goals, while AC Milan’s Ronaldinho struck the post with a free kick as he tried to put Brazil back into the match.

The teams had drawn 0-0 in World Cup qualifying earlier in June, but Brazil routed Argentina 3-0 in last year’s Copa America and won by the same score in a friendly in London in 2006. “Now we will try to win the bronze,” Pato said. “It will still be an honor to win that medal.”

“We played an even match with them, it was a hard game, as usual,” Brazil coach Dunga said. “But they got the first goal and that made things difficult.”