The hosts defeated Honduras 6-0 in first semifinal.
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Maybe Neymar and his teammates can make the Olympics a success for Brazil after all.
Brazil, who trounced Honduras 6-0 earlier Wednesday at Rio’s legendary Maracana stadium, watched on television as Germany beat Nigeria 2-0 in Sao Paulo to create the hoped-for matchup.
At the head of the Brazilian team, Neymar was scored twice, as Jesus Gabriel.
In the 79th minute, Luan scored Brazil’s fifth goal following a quick counter-attack.
Two years on from the country’s dreams being reduced to rubble in its last semifinal on home soil, Brazil enjoyed an occasion as comfortable as its 7-1 loss to Germany was humiliating to move within one step of ending its long wait for Olympic gold.
The South American powerhouse has been in the Olympic tournament 12 times but lost three finals, including at London 2012.
The Selecao, victorious over Colombia at the quarter-final stage, will face either Germany or Nigeria in Saturday night’s final.
Keeper Luis Lopez came out to challenge but the ball deflected off Neymar’s knee and in for the fastest goal in Olympic football history.
And although neither side have won the Olympic gold, communist East Germany won it in 1976, that is largely irrelevant to Germany but of huge importance to Brazil and they have gone all out to break their gold medal hoodoo.
The Hondurans played the ball backward on the kickoff only to have Neymar intercept the lazy pass.
New Manchester City signing Gabriel Jesus, 19, then netted in the 26th and 35th minutes as hosts Brazil took an unassailable 3-0 lead into half-time.
It’s easy to forget that Neymar is still just 24-years-old.
Marquinhos got a fourth in 51 minutes, which he hammered home from three yards at the second attempt when the ball fell kindly to him at a corner. “We don’t want to disappoint the fans”.
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As you can see at the end of that clip, however, the acrobatics involved in scoring the goal left Neymar clutching his ribs. Icho also is the first woman to win an individual gold medal in four straight Olympics, having started her historic run at the inaugural women’s tournament in Athens in 2004.
