Argentina has defeated Brazil in the latest chapter of historic South American soccer rivalry.

A battle between defending champion Argentina and five-time World Cup winner Brazil, the Olympic semifinal was a must see for faithful fans of South American soccer. Avid fans packed bars and restaurants in downtown Rio de Janeiro, where every TV set was broadcasting the match at Beijing's Workers' Stadium.

But the fans' enthusiasm began to die out as the game progressed. The Brazilian team led by Ronaldinho had a hard time breaking Argentina's defense in the first half of the match. Soon after half time, a reviving Sergio Aguero of the defending champion team proved his class by firing two goals within six minutes, and also won a penalty from which Juan Roman Riquelme completed the scoring.

The Brazilians suffered greatly in the demolition as both Lucas and Tiago Neves were sent out for rude tackles on Javier Mascherano at the end of the match.

At the office of a Brazilian newspaper agency, soccer faithful couldn't do anything but shake their heads and stare at the TV with a bitter smile.