Argentina beats Brazil 1-0 to secure spot at Paris Olympics and eliminate archrival

CARACAS — Argentina secured its spot at the men’s soccer tournament at the upcoming Paris Olympics by beating defending champion Brazil 1-0 on Sunday, a result which also eliminated its bitter rival.

In the decisive South American Olympic qualifier, Leandro Goudou scored the winner for the Argentina Under-23 team coached by Javier Mascherano. He headed a cross from Valentin Barco past goalkeeper Mycael in the 78th minute at the Brigido Iriarte Stadium in Caracas.

Brazil won gold at men’s soccer in the Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Olympics.

South America’s Olympic qualifying for men’s soccer offers two spots in Paris, with the remaining berth to be decided later Sunday when Paraguay and Venezuela face off. Argentina finished its final group stage campaign with five points in three matches and cannot be overtaken by the other teams.