Terrific trio hope for goal rush

Nigeria have been exuberant but exasperatingly erratic and their players have been criticised by coach Samson Siasia for individualism. Argentina, led by the dynamic Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero, and orchestrated by Juan Roman Riquelme in midfield, have been stylish and are buoyed by their 3-0 thrashing of arch-rivals Brazil in the semi-final. One possible dampener could be the heat as the match will kick off at midday — a hefty price to pay for staging the event at the Bird’s Nest, where athletics take priority. It is another reminder of soccer’s somewhat uncomfortable place at the Games. With governing body FIFA wary of creating a rival to their own World Cup, the tournament is restricted to under-23 teams with each allowed to field up to three overage players.

Not about revenge

Argentina coach Sergio Batista said revenge was not on his mind. “We are not looking at the match in that sort of way,” he said. “This Argentine team have committed themselves to each match at the Olympics in order to win the gold medal.”

Nigeria coach Samson Siasia, however, is confident his side can stop Messi and win the game. “To defend against Lionel Messi is the biggest thing we have to do,” he said. “We just have to make sure we stay close to him and we don’t give him the chances like we did the last time in the under-20 World Cup,” said Siasia, whose team lost to Argentina in the 2005 World Youth championship final. “I believe in my team and they believe in themselves, as you can see with the performance so far in the Olympics. Apart from us, nobody really thought we would get here. We have been replicating our performances every game. We have continued to prove doubters wrong and we will do it again.”