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Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Brazil fail to qualify for first time since 2004 after defeat against Argentina
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Published 12/02/2024 at 13:44 GMT
Brazil have failed to qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time since 2004. The defending champions will not feature at the Paris 2024 Games after Luciano Gondou struck the only goal of the game in a 1-0 defeat to rivals Argentina in qualifying. Brazil, who beat Spain in the Tokyo 2020 final, were hoping to seal a third successive gold medal in France.
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Defending Olympic champions Brazil have missed out on a spot at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris after a 1-0 defeat to rivals Argentina.
Luciano Gondou struck a 77th-minute winner for Javier Mascherano’s Argentina U23 team during the South American qualifying tournament for this summer’s Games in France.
Argentina ended the final qualifying event with five points and remain a point ahead of Paraguay, who will wrap up their qualifying campaign against Venezuela for the last spot.
Gondou scored four goals in qualifying and insisted Argentina deserve their spot in the upcoming tournament.
“We deserved this,” he said. “We didn’t lose a single match at the qualifying. We suffered, we waited for this goal, but at the end we got it.”
Chelsea and Brazil midfielder Andrey Santos added: “It is a very bad feeling, we prepared well for this.
“We struggled to keep the ball throughout the tournament. It didn’t go as we expected.”
Brazil, who were on track for a third consecutive gold medal after sealing a podium finish at the past four Games, finished qualifying with three points.
The current holders will not feature at the Games for the first time since 2004, while Argentina - who won consecutive gold medals in 2004 and 2008 - seek their first medal in 16 years.
Argentina failed to progress beyond the group stages in the last edition of the tournament following a defeat to Australia, a victory over Egypt and a draw against finalists Spain.
Brazil and Argentina are two of only five teams in Olympic history that have retained gold medal.
In the final at the Tokyo 2020 Games - held in 2021 - Brazil beat Spain 2-1 at the International Stadium in Yokohama to claim a seventh overall men’s football medal; two gold, three silver and two bronze.
Wolverhampton Wanders’ Matheus Cunha, then on the brink of joining Atletico Madrid from Hertha Berlin, cancelled out Mikel Oyarzabal’s first-half opener on the stroke of half-time.
With the scores level at the end of normal time, the game entered extra-time where former Zenit Saint Petersburg forward Malcom struck the winner in the 108th minute.
Dani Alves captained the Brazil side while the likes of Douglas Luiz, Bruno Guimares, Antony and Richalison all featured.
For Spain, Pau Torres, Marc Cucurella, Pedri, Marco Asensio, Dani Olmo and Bryan Gil all played and had to settle for a silver medal.
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The Olympic Games will return with Paris 2024, live on Eurosport and discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
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