Argentina's Sergio Aguero (16) celebrates after scoring his second goal against Brazil with teammate Angel Di Maria, during a men's soccer semi-final game at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, yesterday. - ap

Sergio Aguero scored two second-half goals in seven minutes yesterday and later set up another to lead Argentina to a 3-0 win over rival Brazil and into a second straight Olympic final.

Aguero opened the scoring for the defending champions by chesting in a left-side cross in the 52nd minute, then scored again from two yards on a cross from the right in the 58th. Aguero also had a hand in a 76th-minute penalty kick that was converted by Juan Roman Riquelme.

First in three years

It was the first victory for Argentina against Brazil in three years. They hadn't beaten Brazil since a 3-1 victory in a World Cup qualifier in June 2005.

"It's not a score you see every day when Brazil and Argentina play," Argentina coach Sergio Batista said. "Argentina had a great match, with intelligence and personality."

Argentina, trying to become the first nation to win consecutive titles in 40 years, will now face Nigeria in a rematch of the 1996 final in Atlanta, when the Africans won 3-2 for their first and only title.

Aguero ran past defender Breno to open the scoring after Angel di Maria's cross, then easily added to the lead in front of the goal mouth after Ezequiel Garay's set-up. Lionel Messi started the play on the second goal by eluding several defenders before feeding the ball to Garay.

Penalty kick

Messi also set up Aguero inside the area before he was fouled by Breno in the play that prompted the penalty kick, which Riquelme converted with a right-footed shot into the middle of the net.

The teams had drawn 0-0 in World Cup qualifying earlier in June, but Brazil routed Argentina 3-0 in last year's Copa America and won by the same score in a friendly in London in 2006.

In the other semi-final, Nigeria beat Belgium 4-1 in Shanghai after Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi scored two goals and Olubayo Adefemi and Chibuzor Okonkwo added one each for the 1996 Olympic champions.