Germany won their first ever Olympic gold medal in women’s football on Friday when they turned in a superior second half performance to beat Sweden 2-1 at the Maracana stadium in Rio.
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– Brazil ended the curse of the Olympic Games, avenged Germany and avoided a Maracanazo ( “Maracana Blow” blow in English) version of Olympics thanks to its great success in the penalty shootout of the Rio 2016 final in which the magic of Neymar appeared insufficient for the Canarinhos to strike down the Germans neither during the 90 minutes nor in overtime.
With his club Barcelona clearing him to take part in just one tournament this summer, Neymar sat out the Copa America Centenario, instead prioritizing the one major vacancy remaining in Brazil’s formidable trophy cabinet – an Olympic gold medal.
For nearly the first half the score was 0-0 till Neymar broke the tie with a brilliant set piece goal in the thirtieth minute to put Brazil up 1-0.
At the end, it was the hosts who emerged champions; beating Germany 5-4 at the Maracana stadium late Saturday night.
The Barcelona player was appointed as skipper by Dunga following the 2014 World Cup, in which hosts Brazil were demolished 7-1 by Germany in the semifinals – a match Neymar missed through injury.
“I think they were all against us”, was the accurate observation of Matthias Ginter, who stepped up to score Germany’s first kick in the shootout.
Earlier in the tournament, when the eventual gold-winning Brazilian men’s team and star Neymar were struggling, some fans crossed out his name on their No. 10 jerseys and wrote in hers in magic marker. When Pele was lost to injury in the 1962 World Cup, Brazil went on to win, but they had role players that were almost as talented.
The home of “Jogo Bonito” is considered by many to be the most powerful soccer nation in the world.
It is unusual for football to become the main event of the Games, but, for the most successful nation in World Cup history, the hitherto lack of Olympic gold had become an obsession.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – With Olympic gold finally in hand, the pressure is squarely on Brazil’s senior team now.
In a televised interview after the game, Neymar also said he had told national coach Tite that he did not want to continue as captain.
In stark contrast to the empty seats on show across the Games, even for some of Bolt’s marquee races, there wasn’t a seat to be had at the Maracana – where Germany won the World Cup against Lionel Messi’s Argentina two years ago.
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Neymar was instrumental as a Brazil captain. At the shoot-outs, both the teams were on target hitting the net four times each, but Germanys Nils Petersen spoilt their party as Brazil custodian Weverton made a brilliant save diving to his left. At one match, fans cheered her by chanting “Better Than Neymar”. “I can’t describe my feelings right now”.
