The football competition draw for Beijing 2008 has been done and here's how the four groups will look like:
GROUP A: Ivory Coast, Argentina, Australia and Serbia (it looks almost exactly as the group we had in Germany 2006 only Holland was there instead of Australia).
GROUP B: Netherlands, Nigeria, Japan and USA
GROUP C: China, New Zealand, Brazil and Belgium.
GROUP D: Korea, Cameroon, Honduras and Italy.
Here's the link:
http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/football/footbaldrawlot/
Our ladies will face a very tough group with China, Sweden and Canada.
According to a match schedule I found at FIFA, Argentina will play his first two matches (Ivory Coast -7 August, 1 day before the Opening Ceremony- and Australia -10 August-) in Shanghai.
Three days after facing Australia, the team will have to travel 1500 kilometres to meet Serbia at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing.
If Checho and his boys progress to the quarter finals, they will face a Group B rival. If Argentina finish first in the group, we will face the Group B runner-up and if Argentina is second, the rival will be Group B's winner.
On paper, it looks like Argentina should make it to the last 8. But they won't get an easy rival in that stage because any team out of the Netherlands, Nigeria, USA and Japan will prove to be tough to beat. That potential QF match will be played in Shanghai or Qinhuangdao.
What you may be wondering is: WHEN WILL WE MEET BRAZIL?
OK...I've been looking at every possible scenario:
A: Argentina and Brazil win their groups
Provided they win their QF matches, they will meet in Beijing Workers' Stadium on 19 August in what will be an incredible semifinal.
B: Argentina and Brazil advance as runners-up
Provided they win their QF matches, they will meet in Shanghai Stadium on 19 August in the semifinals.
C: Argentina win their group and Brazil ends up as runner up in Group C (or viceversa)
Provided they win their QF and SF matches, they will meet in Beijing National Stadium (aka The Bird's Nest), on 23 August in what will be the most anticipated Olympic final in a very long time.
I'm surely looking forward to it and to this entire Olympic tournament.
I'm not sure what to think of our group. I'm looking forward to another 6-0 thrashing of Serbia. Because as we all know... In the 2004 Summer Olympics, Argentina defeated Serbia and Montenegro 6-0. And we beat them 6-0 in the World Cup in 2006. Cote D'Ivoire won't be easy, but we should beat them. After all, they didn't make it to the finals of the ACN and we beat Egypt, the winners 2-0. Australia I'm not looking past. They will be very difficult to beat.
ReplyDeleteGroup B is tough as hell too. Holland, Nigeria(fast team), Japan can be an upset and the USA aren't too bad either.
Group C is the easiest. As usual, Brazil has it easy.
Group D... Meh.
I fear Nigeria because as we know that African teams have good track record in the Olympics.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rest, I supposed we can beat them. Surely.
Then we play Brazil in the semis? Well if it takes beating them to defend our gold, and that's just the way it's going to be.
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I already see Argentina, Holland, Italy and Brazil in the semi-finals.
ReplyDeleteJust got news that Argentina are likely to come to Hong Kong for pre-olympic training and friendly matches. With Riquelme, Messi, Aguero, Mascherano and Gago in the line up the tickets will sell like hot cakes here!
The rivals are likely to involve Korea or Japan and one more European Olympic team, possibly Holland. They were all waiting for the draw before confirming.
roy roy roy! i see u don't know about Ivory Coast. At the ACN it wasn't the same players and that means the same goalkeper. U should be more careful about your previsions lol. don't mess with the Elephants!!!! lol are you convinced by the score 4-2?
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