Mac Allister gets an Olympics win, Baluta takes a battering
Alexis Mac Allister and Argentina are up and running at the Olympics but it was far from convincing as they squeaked past Egypt to put their first three points on the board.
The team had come in for heavy criticism after their shock 2-0 defeat in the opening game against Australia.
Argentina had to see off the Pharaohs to stand any chance of making it out of Group C and they duly did, scoring with their only shot on target over the 90 minutes. A very un-Brighton thing for Mac Allister to experience at the Olympics.
Defender Facundo Medina was the scorer seven minutes into the second half, sweeping home the rebound from close range after his header from a corner had rattled the woodwork.
Argentina were content to sit back and defend after that. Egypt were wasteful in front of goal, particularly in an entertaining first half when they failed to put several easy opportunities on target that would make even Aaron Connolly blush.
Former Huddersfield Town forward Ramadan Sobhi came closest to scoring for the Pharaohs. His one-on-one opportunity was brilliantly kept out low down by Argentina goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma.
Mac Allister went close with a free kick three minutes before his nation notched, sending the ball inches over the bar with an excellent effort from a very tight angle for what would have been a spectacular first Olympics goal.
The result leaves Argentina third in the group ahead of the final round of matches. Victory over leaders Spain will take them through whilst a draw against La Roja combined with Australia losing to Egypt would also be enough.
Mac Allister could come up against a future Brighton teammate in that decider. Getafe left back Marc Cucurella has been linked with a £15 million move to the Amex this summer and he made his Olympics debut in Spain’s 1-0 win over Australia having missed their opening draw with Egypt. A late Mikel Oyarzabal goal decided the tie.
Tudor Baluta came off the bench for Romania in their 4-0 hammering at the hands of South Korea. Very little went right for Baluta and his countrymen, starting from the moment Marius Marin scored an own goal to give Korea the lead with 27 minutes on the clock.
Ion Gheorghe was then sent off for two bookable offences before the game had even reached half time, leaving Romania with a mountain to climb.
Korea duly ran riot in the second half, adding three more to the scoreline through Lee Dong-gyeong’s deflected effort and a brace from substitute Lee Kang-in.
Group B is now delicately poised with all four teams having three points. Romania face New Zealand next whilst South Korea are up against Honduras.
Given the hammering that Romania’s goal difference took against Korea, Baluta and co really need to win if they are to stand any chance of making it into the next round.
Another Albion transfer target was a used substitute for Japan as they made it two wins from two at the top of Group A. Kaoru Mitoma is said to be close to completing a £2.5 million move from J1 League side Kawasaki Frontale, although work permit issues means he will follow in the footsteps of Percy Tau and embark on a loan odyssey around Belgium for a couple of years before he can arrive in England.
The winger came off the bench as the hosts beat Mexico 2-1. Early goals from Takefusa Kubo and Ritsu Doan gave Japan the perfect start as they motored 2-0 ahead inside of the opening 11 minutes.
A red card for Mexico’s Johan Vasquez midway through the second half should have made for an easy finish but Mexico kept plugging away, setting up a nervy finale when Roberto Alvarado pulled one back four minutes from time. Japan managed to hold on with victory guaranteeing them a spot in the quarter finals.
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