Neymar was injured and unable to play in that 2014 World Cup semifinal, so he feels a strong obligation to deliver Olympic gold to his country. They didn’t have to wait long to cheer, with Neymar scoring 15 seconds into the game.
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The home side, desperately seeking the only global title they have yet to win, will face Germany in the final on Saturday after the Germans overcame Nigeria 2-0 in Sao Paulo.
It was one of Brazil’s easiest days at the office as they dispatched Honduras with ruthless aggression at the Maracana.
The South American powerhouse has been in the Olympic tournament 12 times but lost three finals, including at London 2012.
Gabriel Jesus beat Lopez with the flick of his right boot after running onto a surgical cross from Luan in the 26th minute to make it 2-0; then he outraced a Honduran defender and scooped up a perfectly weighted pass from Neymar in the 35th, finishing the breakaway with a rocket into the roof of the net.
Brazil maintained its lead and the clean sheet for the remainder of the match as it finished 6-0. He quickly returned, and after his team scored four more goals, he brought the total up to 6 with one final score on a penalty kick. Honduran keeper Luis Lopez came sliding out, but only managed to knock the ball off Neymar and into the net. In what has been a controversial Olympic year, this would be a monumental victory.
However, it was Manchester City’s new £27 million (US$36 million) wonder kid Gabriel Jesus who piled on the pain for Honduras with two more goals before the break. “It was important to win like this, playing well and with a lot of goals”.
Neymar got his second goal of the match with a 92nd-minute penalty after Palacios fouled Luan. Brazil started this year’s tournament with back-to-back 0-0 draws, so a big win will definitely propel them in the right direction for Saturday’s final!
But Neymar and the rest of the squad picked up the pace just in time, beating Denmark 4-0 in the final group match and eliminating Colombia 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
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BEACH BRONZE: Few bronze medal games will feature a more intriguing matchup than the one on Copacabana Beach, where Walsh Jennings, who has won three gold medals, and Ross will face Brazil’s top-seeded top-seeded team of Talita and Larissa.
