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A 58th minute goal by Di Maria clinched a second successive soccer gold for Argentina and dealt out revenge for their 1996 defeat by opponents Nigeria in the Olympic final in Atlanta.
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Athens 2004 gold medalist Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0 in the final of the Olympic Men's Football Tournament.
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Lionel Messi's superb short pass set Angel Di Maria on a thirty yard sprint for goal crowned by a masterful chip over the advancing Nigerian keeper.
Under a scorching Beijing sun that sapped players' energy, both sides had good chances to seal the match. Nigeria in particular may well be ruing their slow reflexes in the Argentina penalty area. Isaac failed to net into an open goal from close range in the first half, and substitute Anichebe could well have won the match for Nigeria inside the last half hour with two clear chances inside the six-yard box.
In the end, the Argentines edged the game in terms of skill and came out deserved winners. The match was played in a good spirit although Nigeria's Obinna and Apam were booked for clumsy challenges and Argentinians Monzon and Riquelme were yellow-carded for time wasting in the dying minutes.