Neymar had been struggling for form going into the all-South American clash in Sao Paulo.
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“In the first two games we were a bit anxious, but after (against Denmark) we got the goals and the team felt more at ease on the pitch”, added Luan.
Brazil made sure of a place in their third consecutive Olympic semi-final when Luan’s effort from outside the area beat goalkeeper Cristian Bonilla. The host is under pressure to deliver gold at its home Olympics and Neymar’s effort helped it on its way.
SAO PAULO (AP) – Neymar scored his first goal of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Saturday, giving Brazil a 2-0 win over Colombia and a spot in the semifinals of the men’s soccer tournament. He finished well into the low corner of the near post, but it has to be said: Colombia’s so-called wall was more like a slice of Swiss cheese as Neymar’s kick went through a giant hole in the three-man wall.
The match, which was a repeat of the 2014 World Cup quarter-final, was a heated contest with five first-half yellow cards. The benches cleared just before halftime after a vicious foul committed by Neymar, who lashed out after being harassed by opponents almost every time he touched the ball.
“This victory gives us a lot of strength for what is to come because Colombia were one of the stronger sides that could have got to the final”.
Germany will face Nigeria in Sao Paulo on Wednesday after the Africans scored in each half to beat Denmark.
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The Barcelona star curled home an inch-perfect free-kick after just 12 minutes, but was also lucky to escape with a yellow card for chopping down Andres Roa and provoking a brawl between both sets of players just before half-time. Two years ago, Neymar’s World Cup ended after he took a knee to his back late in Brazil’s 2-1 win over the Colombians.
