Argentina celebrates soccer gold
The soccer final started at 12 noon on Saturday, which was about 1 AM in Buenos Aires. Soccer fans in Buenos Aires stayed up late to watch Argentina's gold medal victory over Nigeria.
Sergio Aguero (L) of Argentina dribbles during the men's gold
match of football event between Nigeria and Argentina at Beijing
2008 Olympic Games in the National Stadium, known as the Bird's
Nest, in Beijing, China, Aug. 23, 2008. (Xinhua)
Argentina retained their Olympic champion's title by beating the Nigerians 1-nil in Beijing. Because of the time difference, there were few celebrations on the streets of Buenos Aires, but many fans still went to bars to watch the match live. They danced on tables as Argentina avenged their defeat by Nigeria in the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
The Argentines were able to withstand the Nigerian assault during the first half. They scored the decider 58 minutes into the match, when Angel Di Maria broke clear of Nigeria's defense and chipped over the goalkeeper. Argentina defeated Paraguay 1-nil in Athens in 2004 for the gold.