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Heartbreak for the Pumas as Great Britain win in extra time following a scoreless match. In the semi-finals, GB will play South Africa and Fiji will face Japan.
Dan Bibby of Great Britain scores the winning try at Deodoro Stadium (Photo: Getty Images/David Rogers)
Great Britain have moved into the semi-finals of the Rio 2016 Olympic rugby sevens with a thrilling 5-0 sudden-death victory over Argentina at the Deodoro Stadum.
The tense match had ended 0-0 before Dan Bibby touched down in extra time with a 'golden try' to seal a memorable win in western Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday (10 August).
In the semi-finals, Great Britain will face the powerful South Africans, who overwhelmed Australia 22-5 in the quarter-finals, avenging a 12-5 defeat in the pool stage.
Fiji moved into the rugby sevens medal round at the Olympic Games after a 12-7 win over the famous 'All Blacks' of New Zealand. The Fijians will face an unexpected rival in the semi-finals, after Japan continued their remarkable rugby run.
The Fijians, back-to-back world series champions, are vying for their country's first ever Olympic medal and have already overcome one of the toughest hurdles in world rugby by beating New Zealand in a knock-out match.
Gordon Tietjens, the All Black coach, said: "There was a lack of consistency and we got off to slow starts. Great Britain is an example where we conceded 21 points in the first half and came back to score three tries. Obviously we are disappointed to lose today but we were in a with a chance right to the end."
But the Japanese are growing in confidence, too, after a stunning upset win over New Zealand and narrowly missing a draw against Britain on the opening day of the tournament and following it up on Wednesday with a win over Kenya before a 12-7 quarter-final win over France.
During a tumultuous morning session, quarter-finals places had hinged on the last group match between the world series champion Fiji and the USA. USA needed a win, or a draw or a loss by fewer than five points against Fiji to reach the quarter-finals at the expense of New Zealand, but missed out by one kick.
The two semi-finals, the bronze medal match and the gold match will take place in Deodoro Stadium on Thursday (11 August), bringing to an end what has been a thrilling return for rugby to the Olympic Games.
