Brazil and Argentina earned a chance to win South America’s first Olympic soccer gold medal since 1928.
Victory can apparently do wonders for a celebrity’s tolerance for the media’s invasion of privacy.
After Brazil beat Uruguay 3-1 March 3 to qualify for the 1996 Olympic Games, 15 journalists followed coach Mario Zagalo to the locker room and into the restroom. With joy in his voice — according to Brazilian daily Folha — Zagalo shouted, “This is the first time I’ve done an interview at the urinal, while making xixi.”
Zagalo, who won World Cups as a player in 1958 and 1962, as head coach in 1970, and as Carlos Alberto Parreira’s assistant coach in 1994, now has a chance to win the gold medal.
“I promise we will fight hard to bring the gold medal home,” said Zagalo, who prepared his team by entering it in the Gold Cup and finishing runner-up to Mexico in January.
Uruguay’s gold-medal wins in 1924 (Paris) and 1928 (Amsterdam) made Europe aware of South American soccer prowess and led to Uruguay’s hosting of the inaugural World Cup, in 1930. But since then, no South American nation has won the gold. (In fact, the Olympics have never taken place in South America.)
This year’s qualifying tournament took place in the Argentine resort cities of Mar del Plata and Tandil.
Brazil and Uruguay finished atop Group A, while Argentina and Venezuela headed Group B to reach the final round. By winning their first two games of the final round, Argentina and Brazil clinched qualification before their last game —
against each other March 6, a 2-2 tie.
“This tournament was a baptism for this squad,” Zagalo said. “The players matured, they became cohesive as they scored 19 goals and conceded four goals [in five games].”
Plus three world champs?
That the Olympic tournament is an under-23 competition suits Argentina and Brazil, which produce young talent at an incredible pace. In 1993, Brazil won the U-20 World Cup in Australia. That is the same generation — players born on or after Jan. 1, 1973 — eligible for these Olympic Games. Yet goalkeeper Dida is the only member of the 1993 under-20 team who is currently playing for Zagalo. Juninho, who started all of Brazil’s 1995 Copa America games and now plays for English club Middlesbrough, inspired the under-23 squad and scored twice in its win over Uruguay. His first came on a spectacular shot from the corner of the penalty area that flew over keeper Claudio Flores and into the side netting.
Juninho, like Inter Milan’s Roberto Carlos, missed the Gold Cup, where the youngsters beat the United States 1-0. Caio and Savio scored five and four goals at the Preolimpico tournament for Brazil, which will be even stronger come July.
While UEFA has announced that European teams won’t bother exploiting the wild-card rule by adding three overage players (the Europeans view the Olympics as the culmination of their U-21 tournament), Zagalo is expected to add three World Cup veterans to his squad — central defender Aldair, midfielder Dunga and forward Bebeto.
Also, Ronaldo — the 19-year-old who led the Dutch league in scoring last season — may be back from injury in time for the Olympics.
While Zagalo was overjoyed with Brazil’s performance, the Argentine media criticized the play of coach Daniel Passarella’s squad, which clinched with a 2-0 win over Venezuela that La Nacion called a “concert of errors.”
After a disorganized first-half performance, Hernan Crespo and Claudio Lopez scored to give the host a 2-0 win after the expulsion of Venezuelan midfielder Luis Vera.
Venezuela had stunned both Colombia and Ecuador in first-round play and can consider its performance a historical success regardless of its result against Uruguay March 6.
In its 2-0 win over Uruguay, Argentina played well in the first half — taking the lead on Marcelo Delgado’s seventh goal of the tournament and extending it through Claudio Lopez — and poorly in the second half.
In addition to Delgado’s goalscoring feats, Argentina’s brightest play came from playmaker Ariel Ortega, a full national starter who saw action at the 1994 World Cup. Hernan Crespo, who has been a leading scorer for River Plate since 1993, scored five goals going into the final match against Brazil. Passarella did not start Crespo in Argentina’s first two final-round games because he wanted to pair Delgado and Lopez, who are striking partners at Racing Club.
Both Argentina and Brazil rewarded its players with bonuses of $10,000 each for qualifying.
by Soccer America Senior Editor Mike Woitalla
South America Olympic Qualifying (Final Round)
March 1 in Tandil
Brazil 5, Venezuela 0. Goals: Savio (15, 84), Caio (48), Flavio Conceicao (66), Ze Maria (84).
Brazil — Dida, Ze Maria, Carlinhos, Narciso, Roberto Carlos, Amaral, Flavio Conceicao, Souza (Beto, 69), Juninho, Caio (Jamelli, 80), Savio.
Venezuela — Dudamel, Filosa (Chirinos, 51; Duran, 80), Rey, MacKintosh, Vallenilla, Urdaneta, Salazar, Valiente, Vera (Vieira, 66), Castellin, Moran.
March 1 in Mar del Plata
Argentina 2, Uruguay 0. Goals: Delgado (26), Lopez (39).
Argentina — Cavallero, Lombardi, Rotchen, Paz, Sorin, Bassedas, Almeyda, Morales, Ortega (Gallardo, 80), Lopez, Delgado (Veron, 87).
Uruguay — Flores, Rotundo, Diego Lopez, Olveira, Adinolfi, Abeijon, Dos Santos (Sosa, 73), de los Santos, Vanzini (Lemos, 51), Corres, Magallanes (Tejera, 51).
March 3 in Mar del Plata
Brazil 3, Uruguay 1. Goals: Juninho (33, 66), Beto (37); Fleurquin (79).
Brazil — Dida, Ze Maria, Carlinhos, Narciso, Roberto Carlos, Amaral, Flavio Conceicao, Beto, Juninho, Caio, Savio (Jamelli, 82).
Uruguay — Flores, Sum, Lopez, Olveira, Silva (Alvez, 61), Lemos, Abeijon, de los Santos (Fleurquin, 61), Adinolfi, Tejera (Diaz, 70), Sosa.
Argentina 2, Venezuela 0. Goals: Crespo (70), Lopez (88).
Argentina — Cavallero, Lombardi, Rotchen, Paz, Sorin, Bassedas, Almeyda, Gallardo (Gonzalez, 57), Ortega, Lopez, Delgado (Crespo, 55).
Venezuela — Dudamel, Filosa, Rey, MacIntosh, Vallenilla, Hernandez (Castellanos, 75), Valiente, Vera, Urdaneta, Moran, Castellin.