BRAZIL failed miserably, now it's Nigeria's turn to find a way of keeping Argentina's virtuoso Lionel Messiin check in tomorrow's showpiece Beijing Olympics football final at the national stadium.
Nigeria have a great belief that they can defy the odds and upset the dazzling Argentines and repeat their success at the 1996 Atlanta Games as the first African nation to become Olympic football champions.
Messi, who almost didn't play here with Barcelona wanting him back in Spain in time for the Champions League third qualifying round matches, again threatens to dominate the final, which will celebrate 100 years of Olympic football.
Coach Samson Siasia, who scored for Nigeria in their 2-1 group loss to Argentina at the 1994 World Cup in Boston, said marking Messi was his team's biggest priority in the Beijing final.
"Their biggest star is Messi, that's it. That's all. He is the biggest star in that team."
Siasia was Nigeria's coach when they went down 2-1 to two Messi penalties in the 2005 under-20 World Cup final in Utrecht in the Netherlands.
Argentina, benefiting from a crop of exciting under-23 players and well-marshalled by 30-year-old Boca Juniors playmaker Juan Riquelme, are the hot favourites to defend their title from their 1-0 win over Paraguay in Athens four years ago.
The Brazil triumph sent a positive surge through the Argentine players, reared on a history of fierce rivalry for football supremacy with the five-times World Cup champions.
Now Argentina see Nigeria as pay-back time for the Africans' win over them at the Atlanta Olympics.
"This Argentine team has committed themselves to each match at the Olympics in order to win the gold medal," coach Sergio Batista said. -- AFP
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