Olympic Mens Soccer Semifinals Set

Quarterfinal play is over and the semifinals are set for the Beijing Olympic mens soccer tournament.  Worls powers Brazil and Argentina won their quarterfinal matches to earn a semifinal showdown.  The other semifinal will pit Belgium against Nigeria.

Brazil 2  Cameroon 0 in extra time
Striker Rafael Sobis and defender Marcelo scored a goal each in extra time Saturday to give Brazil a 2-0 win over 10-man Cameroon and a spot in the semifinals of the Olympic football tournament.   Despite playing a man up for most of the second half, Brazil failed to break the scoreless draw until Sobis fired a right-footed shot from inside the area in the 101st minute. Marcelo then sealed the victory with a goal from near the penalty spot in the 105th.

Nigeria 2  Ivory Coast 0
Peter Odemwingie scored in the first half and Victor Obinna converted a late penalty Saturday to lead Nigeria to a 2-0 win over African rival Ivory Coast and into the semifinals of men's football.  Odemwingie hit a right-footed strike past Ivorian goalkeeper Vincent Angina in the 44th, and Obinna added the second goal in the 80th after defender Souleymane Bamba took down Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi in the box.

Belgium 3  Italy 2
Moussa Dembele scored two of Belgium's three goals after they were reduced to 10 men, giving his country a 3-2 victory over Italy on Saturday and moving them within one win of their first Olympic soccer medal since it won gold at home in 1920.  Dembele's winner in the 80th minute was far less controversial than his first.  With Belgium trailing 1-0, Dembele headed in a corner kick from Tom de Mul in the 24th that Luca Cigarini, standing beside the right post, appeared to clear off the line with his right foot. Referee Hector Baldassi immediately signaled the goal despite Italian protests.

'I did not see it,' Italy coach Pierluigi Casiraghi said through a translator. 'Even on TV, I did not see it. This is not an important matter now.'   Dembele put Belgium ahead for good with a left-footed shot from the top of the area. Italy goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano was sent off after the goal for tussling with a Belgium player, forcing coach Pierluigi Casiraghi to bring on reserve goalkeeper Andrea Consigli.   'Every player on my team is important,' Belgian coach Jean Francois de Sart said. 'But you need players who can make a difference. Today, Moussa Dembele made the difference.'   Dembele's goals came after Thomas Vermalen was removed in the 17th minute for running over Robert Acquafresca, a foul that led to the first of two penalties goals by Giuseppe Rossi and an early Italian lead.   'My players were fantastic today,' de Sart said. 'In the first half we were 10 on 11 and still we were the best team on the pitch. Every time our efforts were dangerous.   We received two penalties and after that we find energy to attack. So I have only one word for my players: fantastic.'    Rossi, who has a tournament-leading four goals, converted his first penalty with a left-footed, stutter-step shot past Belgium goalkeeper Logan Bailly. He then tied the game at 2-2 in the 76th minute after Seep de Roover pulled down Paolo de Ceglie just inside the box.

Argentina 2  Holland 1
Argentina required extra time to edge the Netherlands 2-1 in a thrilling quarter-final in the Men's Olympic Football Tournament. Lionel Messi opened the scoring and then created the game's deciding goal for Angel Di Maria as Sergio Batista's side booked a date with Brazil in the last four. The match began at a frenetic pace, which was to continue throughout the first half. The Netherlands registered the first shot on goal through Urby Emanuelson, but Argentina responded swiftly and, as is often the case, Messi was at the core of most of their purposeful advances.  He combined with Juan Roman Riquelme and rounded keeper Piet Velthuizen, who did well to recover and make a goal-line save. Thereafter, Sergio Aguero and Di Maria both came close to breaking the deadlock, but that distinction was to belong to Messi, who dribbled around the Dutch No1 once again and, this time, made no mistake with his finish.

Argentina controlled the game for much of the half, but on 36 minutes the Netherlands restored parity. Javier Mascherano blocked an Evander Sno shot and when the rebound fell to Otman Bakkal, the No17 was left with the simplest of finishes.  The Albiceleste picked up where they left off following the restart, probing for the game's third goal. Aguero was hungry for it but he spurned two further opportunities, panicking when one-on-one with Velthuizen and then watching his superb header drift narrowly wide.  The Oranje then forced Ustari into making a superb reflex save. Jonathan De Guzman's effort appeared to be sailing into the net, but the Getafe keeper's outstretched arm tipped the ball wide for a corner. Messi then embarked on one of his swashbuckling runs, leaving several opponents in his wake, but his ensuing shot failed to trouble Velthuizen. Soon after, the referee's whistle indicated extra time would be needed.