Mascherano and Lucas ready for Olympic semifinal battle
Liverpool midfielders Javier Mascherano and Lucas will go head to head in a mouthwatering semi-final of the Olympics football competition at 2pm UK time today.
Mascherano helped Argentina to an extra time victory over Holland, while Lucas and Brazil overcame Cameroon 2-0 in their quarter-final.
With both players proving instrumental in their respective countries' march to the final four, this afternoon's battle in the middle of the field could well go a long way to determining which of the two nations will book their place in this weekend's final.
Stay tuned for full reaction to today's game on Liverpoolfc.tv later today.
If you were to select an ideal group of semifinalists, you'd probably want a healthy dose of the tournament's big guns along with an overachieving team that has played the role of ultimate party crasher.
On that basis, the four teams that have reached the semifinals of the men's Olympic soccer tournament are as absorbing a quartet as you'll find. In Argentina and Brazil, you have two teams who were on everyone's list of favorites. Nigeria was also tipped as a team to watch prior to the competition's start. Then there is Belgium, which ignored its curfew and has decided to stick around a while longer.
