Mixed emotions as Brazil's men's basketball team hope for Argentina win
Argentina have to beat Spain on Monday evening if Brazil are to qualify for the quarter-finals
Argentina are Brazil's greatest sporting rivals, but the fate of the home side at Rio 2016 is now in Argentinian hands (Photo: Getty Images/Elsa)
Brazil's basketball players face the prospect of having to cheer for arch-rivals Argentina on Monday evening (15 August) in their quest to qualify for the quarter-finals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
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Brazil completed their part of the task by defeating Nigeria 86-69 on Monday afternoon to stay alive in the tournament. For Brazil to advance to a quarter-final against USA, Argentina must now defeat Spain in Carioca Arena 1.
The combination of having to root for Argentina and the nerves associated with waiting for a result to go their way caused different reactions among the Brazilian players after they beat Nigeria.
Guard Vitor Benite said he would be able to put aside the rivalry and cheer for Argentina.
"In our situation, it's kind of easy, we hope they (Argentina) win," he said. "We've got friends there, they've got a pretty good team. More than ever we've got to hope they have a great game."
Vitor Benite is putting aside an age-old rivaly to cheer for Argentina (Photo: Getty Images/Elsa)
Forward Guilherme Giovannoni said the nerves of the game would be too much for him to handle.
"I'm not staying," he said. "This is the kind of game that I don't even want to watch (on television). I'd rather wait for the result, do something else."
Point guard Marcelinho Huertas, meanwhile, chose his words carefully when asked if he would cheer for Argentina to win.
"We'll cheer for Spain to lose," he said.
Argentina qualified for the quarter-finals with a dramatic 111-107 overtime victory against Brazil on Saturday. After two losses to Croatia and Brazil in their opening games, the Spanish side have refound their form, fired up by veteran Pau Gasol.
