The Olympic tournament was the only major soccer tournament that Brazil had failed to win, and they finally accomplished it in front of an apoplectic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. “That’s it”, said Neymar, who sank to his knees in tears after scoring from the spot. Many saw last nights game as a chance to get their revenge for the home nation. It was also the Olympics’ first all-European final.
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They were rewarded in the 26th minute when Neymar’s stunning 25-metre free kick crashed against the underside of the bar and bounced over the line.
“I finish this tournament with the best possible impressions of Neymar as do the team”.
Neymar, the national team’s biggest star and a teammate of Lionel Messi at Barcelona, is the present, and expected leader of the team by the time the next World Cup comes around in Russian Federation in 2018. Fireworks burst over the stadium, vehicle horns blared and fans sang and tossed beer into the air.
On Saturday, Brazil’s men’s football faced Germany at Maracanã stadium; the same stadium where in 2014 Brazil lost 7-1 to the German team during the semi-finals of the World Cup.
“The natural next step for him is to win a World Cup”.
Not Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, not American swimmer Michael Phelps, not even Thiago Braz da Silva falling from the night sky as Brazil’s surprise pole vault champion. Germany hit the crossbar three times in the first half, with Sven Bender seeing his header come agonizingly close after 35 minutes. Both teams worn down by fatigue Brazil had many chances on goal in the beginning and Germany did also towards the end of overtime.
The stop set the stage for Neymar, as if scripted.
“Now they’ll (the critics) have to swallow what they said”, added a vengeful Neymar. “I can’t describe my feelings right now”.
He just expressed gratitude to his teammates, family, and friends who were there by his team during the most hard moments.
Goalkeeper Weverton was full of praise for Neymar, saying: “God has blessed me”. He did not elaborate. The Olympic tournament was spread over numerous same cities used in the 2014 men’s World Cup.
In the final, Neymar not only clinched the win in penalty kicks but scored the team’s lone goal in regulation.
Brazil can put to rest it’s demons they have beat their might foe the German soccer team. But the match still had huge significance for Brazil, which had never won gold, reported the agency.
“Beloved nation, the gold is ours”, Weverton said, still holding on to the game ball. “We responded as necessary and we did this in the short time that was available to us”.
And Micale believes that his team have gone a long way to restoring pride in the national team. “There are some things that need to be fixed, but today we were able to make our people happy”. “Now we can aim high again”.
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“Now the respect is back”, said fan Guilherme Junior.
