The fourth day of competition in the 2024 Paris Olympics provided plenty of action (and mixed emotions) for Argentine fans. The men’s football squad beat Iraq 3-1 and the women’s hockey team won in its debut, but the men’s hockey and handball representatives both lost. 

With their win against Iraq, the Albiceleste put their controversial defeat against Morocco in their debut behind them and is now one step closer to qualifying for the quarterfinals. A draw in their final pool match would be enough to get them to the next stage. A loss, however, will almost certainly put them out of competition.

Thiago Almada opened the scoreboard at the 13th minute following an assist from Julián Álvarez. Iraq managed to tie in the dying moments of the first half, but goals from Luciano Gondou and Ezequiel Fernandez at the 17 and 40 minute mark of the second half sealed the victory for Argentina.

Argentina now has three points and is tied in points with Iraq, Morocco, and Ukraine, the other three teams in Group B. For now, the team coached by Javier Mascherano is in first place due to goal differential.

They will now face Ukraine in the last group stage match on Tuesday to determine who makes it through to the knockout stage.

One of Argentina’s potential rivals in quarterfinals could be France. For this to happen, one of the teams would have to finish first and the other second in their respective groups. 

Tension between the two countries escalated two weeks ago when several Argentine players were heard singing racist chants against the French team following their Copa América win. The situation almost escalated to a full-blown diplomatic incident after Vice President Villarruel made a controversial post on racism, but the Argentine government apologized to the French authorities. 

On Wednesday, the public booed while the Argentine national anthem was being played during the first men’s football Olympic match.

Mixed results in hockey and handball

The other significant win of the day came from the women’s field hockey team, known as Las Leonas. They defeated the United States 4-1, with goals from Rocío Sánchez Moccia, Agustina Gorzelany, Julieta Jankunas, and Zoe Díaz de Armas.

They will face South Africa on Monday, with their minds set on the final. Argentina will also play against Spain, Australia, and Great Britain over the next week as part of the pool matches. The Leonas are vying for gold in the women’s hockey tournament after clinching silver at Tokyo 2020 and coming in second at the 2022 World Cup.

The men’s hockey team, known as Los Leones, didn’t fare well and lost 3-0 to Australia. They will now play on Monday against India to try and straighten their ship at the Olympics. 

In other news, the men’s handball squad lost 36-31 against Norway. Los Gladiadores, however, are still competing for the golden medal and will face Hungary on Monday. In rugby sevens, the Pumas beat the United States 19-0 to end up in seventh place. The team had already lost any chance of getting a medal after falling to France on Thursday. 

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