 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | China |
| Dates | 7–23 August |
| Teams | 16 (from 6 confederations) |
| Venue | 6 (in 5 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Argentina (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Nigeria |
| Third place |  Brazil |
| Fourth place |  Belgium |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 75 (2.34 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,404,254 (43,883 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Giuseppe Rossi(4 goals) |
←2004 2012 → | |
| Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Qualification | ||
| men | women | |
| Tournament | ||
| men | women | |
| Squads | ||
| men | women | |
The men'sfootball tournament at the2008 Summer Olympics was held inBeijing and four other cities in thePeople's Republic of China from 7 to 23 August. Associations affiliated withFIFA were invited to enter their men's under-23 teams in regional qualifying competitions, from which 15 teams, plus the host nation, reached the final tournament. Men's teams were allowed to augment their squads with up to three players over the age of 23.
For these Games, the men competed in a 16-team tournament. Preliminary matches commenced on 7 August, the day before the Games'opening ceremony. The teams were grouped into four pools of four teams each for a round-robin preliminary round. The top two teams in each pool advanced to an eight-team single-elimination bracket.
The tournament was won byArgentina, who beatNigeria 1–0 in thefinal, as part of a record streak of 12 consecutive wins in football competitions at the Summer Olympics (six wins in 2004, six wins in 2008).
Despite the absence of an official best player award, the FIFA website highlightedLionel Messi's campaign by stating that he "posed defenders more problems than anyone else in the tournament".[1]Juan Román Riquelme andJavier Mascherano also received special mentions.[2]
ANational Olympic Committee may enter one men's team in football competitions.
| Means of qualification | Date | Venue | Berths | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation | 1 |  China | ||
| AFC Preliminary Competition | February – November 2007 | – | 3 |  Australia Japan South Korea |
| CAF Preliminary Competition | September 2006 – March 2008 | – | 3 |  Cameroon Ivory Coast Nigeria |
| CONCACAF Preliminary Competition | August 2007 – March 2008 |  United States | 2 |  Honduras United States |
| 2007 South American Youth Championship | 7–28 January 2007 |  Paraguay | 2 | Brazil Argentina |
| OFC Preliminary Competition | 1–9 March 2008 |  Fiji | 1 |  New Zealand |
| 2007 UEFA U-21 Championship | 10–23 June 2007 |  Netherlands | 4 | Netherlands Serbia Belgium Italy |
| Total | 16 | |||
Six venues were used during the tournament, four of them outside of Beijing at cities around China.Beijing National Stadium hosted the final.
| Beijing | Shanghai | Location of the host cities of the men's football tournament of the 2008 Summer Olympics. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaoyang | Xuhui | ||
| Beijing National Stadium | Workers' Stadium | Shanghai Stadium | |
| Capacity:91,000 | Capacity:70,161 | Capacity:80,000 | |
 |  |  | |
| Shenyang | Tianjin | Qinhuangdao | |
| Hunnan | Nankai | Haigang | |
| Shenyang Olympic Stadium | Tianjin Olympic Centre Stadium | Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Centre Stadium | |
| Capacity:60,000 | Capacity:60,000 | Capacity:33,000 | |
 |  |  | |
For the men's tournament, each nation submitted a squad of 18 players, 15 of whom had to be born on or after 1 January 1985, and three of whom could be overage players, by 23 July 2008.[3] A minimum of two goalkeepers (plus one optional alternate goalkeeper) had to be included in the squad.[3]
On 22 April 2008,FIFA released the list of match referees that will officiate at the Olympics.[4]
| Confederation | Referee | Assistants |
|---|---|---|
| AFC | Khalil Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia) | Mohammed Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia) Hamdi Al Kadrie (Syria) |
| Abdullah Al Hilali (Oman) | Khaled Al Allan (Bahrain) Saleh Al Marzouqi (United Arab Emirates) | |
| Masoud Moradi (Iran) | Hassan Kamranifar (Iran) Luay Subhi Adib (Iraq) | |
| CAF | Jerome Damon (South Africa) | Enock Molefe (South Africa) Célestin Ntagungira (Rwanda) |
| Badara Diatta (Senegal) | Bechir Hassani (Tunisia) Evarist Menkouande (Cameroon) | |
| CONCACAF | Roberto Moreno (Panama) | Daniel Williamson (Panama) Hairo Fuentes (Panama) |
| Jair Marrufo (United States) | Kermit Quisenberry (United States) Ricardo Morgan (Jamaica) | |
| CONMEBOL | Héctor Baldassi (Argentina) | Ricardo Casas (Argentina) Hernán Maidana (Argentina) |
| Pablo Pozo (Chile) | Patricio Basualto (Chile) Julio Díaz (Chile) | |
| Martín Vázquez (Uruguay) | Mauricio Espinosa (Uruguay) Miguel Nievas (Uruguay) | |
| OFC | Michael Hester (New Zealand) | Tevita Makasini (Tonga) Michael Joseph (Vanuatu) |
| UEFA | Thomas Einwaller (Austria) | Roland Heim (Austria) Norbert Schwab (Austria) |
| Viktor Kassai (Hungary) | Gábor Erős (Hungary) Tibor Vámos (Hungary) | |
| Stéphane Lannoy (France) | Eric Dansault (France) Frédéric Cano (France) | |
| Damir Skomina (Slovenia) | Primož Arhar (Slovenia) Marco Stancin (Slovenia) | |
| Wolfgang Stark (Germany) | Jan-Hendrik Salver (Germany) Volker Wezel (Germany) |
All times areChina Standard Time (UTC+8).
The draw for the tournament took place on 20 April 2008. Argentina, the Netherlands, China and Cameroon were seeded for the draw and placed into groups A–D, respectively. The remaining teams were drawn from four pots with teams from the same region kept apart.
| Pot 1: Asia | Pot 2: Africa and Oceania | Pot 3: Europe | Pot 4: Americas |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
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Group winners and runners-up advanced to the quarter-finals.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 9 | Qualified for the quarterfinals |
| 2 | Ivory Coast | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | Australia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 1 | |
| 4 | Serbia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 1 |
| Serbia | 2–4 | Ivory Coast |
|---|---|---|
Mrdaković 16'Rakić 90' | Report | Cissé 3' Rajković 24' (o.g.)Kalou 70'Gervinho 90+3' |
| Ivory Coast | 1–0 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Kalou 81' | Report |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 | Qualified for the quarterfinals |
| 2 | Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 | |
| 3 | United States | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 |
| Japan | 0–1 | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Holden 47' |
| United States | 2–2 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Kljestan 64' Altidore 72' | Report | Babel 16' Sibon 90+3' |
| Netherlands | 1–0 | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Sibon 73' (pen.) | Report |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | +9 | 9 | Qualified for the quarterfinals |
| 2 | Belgium | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | China(H) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 1 | |
| 4 | New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 |
| China | 1–1 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Dong Fangzhuo 88' | Report | Brockie 53' |
| New Zealand | 0–5 | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Anderson 3' Pato 33'Ronaldinho 55',61' (pen.)Sóbis 90+3' |
| China | 0–3 | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Diego 18' Thiago Neves 69',73' |
| New Zealand | 0–1 | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Haroun 35' |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 7 | Qualified for the quarterfinals |
| 2 | Cameroon | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 | |
| 3 | South Korea | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 4 | |
| 4 | Honduras | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 |
| Honduras | 0–3 | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Giovinco 41' Rossi 45' (pen.)Acquafresca 52' (pen.) |
| South Korea | 1–1 | Cameroon |
|---|---|---|
| Park Chu-young 68' | Report | Mandjeck 81' |
| Italy | 3–0 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Rossi 15' Rocchi 32'Montolivo 90' | Report |
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Gold medal match | ||||||||||||
| B1 | Nigeria | 2 | ||||||||||||
| A2 | Ivory Coast | 0 | ||||||||||||
| B1 | Nigeria | 4 | ||||||||||||
| C2 | Belgium | 1 | ||||||||||||
| D1 | Italy | 2 | ||||||||||||
| C2 | Belgium | 3 | ||||||||||||
| B1 | Nigeria | 0 | ||||||||||||
| A1 | Argentina | 1 | ||||||||||||
| A1 | Argentina (a.e.t.) | 2 | ||||||||||||
| B2 | Netherlands | 1 | ||||||||||||
| A1 | Argentina | 3 | Bronze medal match | |||||||||||
| C1 | Brazil | 0 | ||||||||||||
| C1 | Brazil (a.e.t.) | 2 | C2 | Belgium | 0 | |||||||||
| D2 | Cameroon | 0 | C1 | Brazil | 3 | |||||||||
| Nigeria | 2–0 | Ivory Coast |
|---|---|---|
| Odemwingie 44' Obinna 82' (pen.) | Report |
Source for cards:[6]
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| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Argentina (ARG) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 18 |
| 2 | Nigeria (NGR) | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 13 |
| 3 | Brazil (BRA) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 15 |
| 4 | Belgium (BEL) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 9 |
| 5 | Italy (ITA) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 7 |
| 6 | Ivory Coast (CIV) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 7 | Netherlands (NED) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 8 | Cameroon (CMR) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 5 |
| 9 | United States (USA) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 |  South Korea (KOR) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 4 |
| 11 |  Australia (AUS) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 1 |
| 12 | Serbia (SRB) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 1 |
| 13 | China (CHN) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 1 |
| 14 | New Zealand (NZL) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 |
| 15 | Japan (JPN) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 |
| 16 | Honduras (HON) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 |
With four goals, Giuseppe Rossi of Italy was the top scorer in the tournament. In total, 75 goals were scored by 53 different players, with only one of them credited as own goal.
Lautaro AcostaDiego BuonanotteJuan Román RiquelmeRuben ZadkovichLaurent CimanFaris HarounAndersonHernanesMarceloAlexandre PatoGeorges MandjeckStéphane MbiaDong FangzhuoRobert AcquafrescaSebastian GiovincoRiccardo MontolivoTommaso RocchiGervinhoYohei ToyodaKim Dong-jinPark Chu-youngRyan BabelOtman BakkalJeremy BrockieOlubayo AdefemiVictor AnichebePeter OdemwingieChibuzor OkonkwoIsaac PromiseMiljan MrdakovićSlobodan RajkovićĐorđe RakićJozy AltidoreStuart HoldenSlobodan Rajković (playing against Ivory Coast)
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| General | | ||||
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| Tournaments |
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| Qualifications |
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| Finals |
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| Squads |
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| Related topics | |||||
