Angel Di Maria extends supports to Argentina team as they face Iraq at Paris Olympics; shares message on Instagram

Argentina legend Angel Di Maria has put on a show of support for their Olympic team during their game against Iraq on Saturday, July 27. The South American giants sought an immediate response following a disappointing and controversial defeat at the hands of Morocco in their first match at the Games.

Fresh from their senior national team winning a second successive Copa America title, Argentina were among the favorites to win Gold in Paris. The 2008 winners lost 2-1 to African champions Morocco in their first game in Saint-Etienne. It was a game that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. It saw an Argentine goal being disallowed after around two hours of break due to fan intrusion.

A gold medalist and scorer of the winning goal in the 2008 final, Angel Di Maria sent a message to the team by posting on his Instagram story. The Benfica man took a photo of his television set, where he was watching the match against Iraq. He captioned it with a message of encouragement for the team.

Angel Di Maria charges Argentina to win against Iraq

"Let's go kids ❤️⚽ All together"

Managed by former Argentina international Javier Mascherano, the Argentine U-23 side managed to overcome Iraq and claim all three points on offer. The manager opted to start experienced pros like Nicolas Otamendi, Geronimo Rulli, and Julian Alvarez for the game in Lyon.

Thiago Almada (13') opened the scoring for the 2004 and 2008 winners before Aymen Hussein (45+4') equalised for Iraq. La Albiceleste scored twice more in the second half through Luciano Gondou (62') and Ezequiel Fernandez (85') to seal the win.

Angel Di Maria must have been pleased to see his country win, with the result taking them to the top of Group B on goal difference. They will next face Ukraine in their final group game on July 30, with the European side having also lost their first game against Iraq.

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Argentina trio aim to emulate Messi, Di Maria in Paris

Argentina stars Nicolas Otamendi, Julian Alvarez and Geronimo Rulli are out to emulate Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria in the country's history. The trio were named as overage players for their country's football team at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Winners with the U-23 squad in 2008, both Messi and Di Maria were part of the senior national team when they won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. They became the first players since 1938 to win both an Olympic Gold and a FIFA World Cup title.

All of Otamendi, Alvarez, and Rulli have started both of their country's matches in France, culminating in a defeat and a win in Group B. They will be out to claim all three points in their final group match against Ukraine to further boost their hopes of claiming gold.