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

Brazil will not defend its Olympic men’s soccer title in London after losing 1-0 to its regional rival Argentina on Sunday.

In the decisive South American Olympic qualifier, Luciano Gondou 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, reports AP.

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

South America’s Olympic qualifying for men’s soccer offered two spots in Paris. Paraguay ended on the top of the table of the final group stage with seven points in three matches after its 2-0 win on Sunday against host Venezuela.