The Germans are only the second European team to reach the Olympic final in 20 years – Spain won silver in 2000 – and, a little like Brazil, they stuttered early before finding form in the knockout rounds. Germany has the competition’s best attack with 21 goals. On the contrary, the Honduras team seems a little bit frustrated after the defeat with the score 6:0 to the Brazil team.
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Brazil’s celebrated men’s soccer team rolled to a 6-0 win over Honduras in the semifinals Wednesday to earn a spot in the gold medal match, where they will face Germany who beat Nigeria 2-0.
However, the Germans achieved their best-ever finish at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament, as Germany’s record before Rio 2016 was a bronze medal at Seoul 1988.
The two coaches will approach Friday’s final differently, Sweden will be the underdog, and as seen in matches against Brazil and the USA, they’ll sit deep and try to frustrate the Germans.
“What counts is this game, the Olympic final”. It will be a re-match of the FIFA World Cup 2014 semi-final where the eventual world champions Germany thrashed hosts Brazil 7-1.
Just what measure of revenge victory for Brazil at the Maracana on Saturday would provide, though, isn’t exactly clear. “They are a unsafe team so we will have to pay attention to them”, Micale said. “Neymar never played in that match so there is nothing that could generate any type of feeling that we have to take revenge”.
For Brazil, Neymar is very much the focal point but Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Barbosa and Luan have all contributed with goals and will be asking plenty of questions of Germany’s backline in Rio.
“Hey Germany, just wait, your turn is coming up”, the fans chanted at the Maracana.
Brazilian sides were happy to let their players miss league duty to play in the Olympics because they are so desperate to win that one elusive title.
Germany coach Horst Hrubesch also distanced his team from what happened at the World Cup. The similarities with the semi-final in 2014 are limited, but the game carries huge symbolic value for the hosts. “It is a different team and we are here to live our dream right to the end”.
However, there was no repeat of his tears of anguish when carried off with two broken vertebrae in his back that ended his World Cup participation in a brutal quarter-final against Colombia two years ago. “They are favourites to win the gold medal”, he added.
Defender Matthias Ginter is the only World Cup victor in the German Olympic squad.
In the women’s finals, Germany plays Sweden Friday August 19 at 4:30pET. What happened in the past is in the past, nothing is going to change that, even if we win by seven goals.
The Olympic teams are mostly made up of players under the age of 23, with three overage players permitted on each team.
Maybe Neymar and his teammates can make the Olympics a success for Brazil after all. They managed to lose only two games and come winners from their group.
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Manchester City new boy Gabriel Jesus, who also netted twice, described the victory as “spectacular” and hopes to deliver joy to the Brazilian people in the final.
