Brazil had lost three Olympic finals, including four years ago in London, when it was upset by Mexico 2-1 with a team that also included Neymar and other talented players.
Advertisement
After some grueling extra time it came down to penalty kicks, where Neymar Jr. showed off his talents, his calm and collected nature, and brought home the Gold to Brazil.
It’s unknown what exactly Neymar was so angry about, but one can hazard a guess that he was criticised for his performances early on at the Rio Olympics.
It’s not certain what the 24-year-old was so unhappy about but it has been suggested his reaction may have been as a result of the stick he received in Brazil’s opening games in Rio.
Neymar captained the mainly under-23 side during the Games and Brazil’s Olympic coach Rogerio Micale described his decision to step down as “noble”.
“I finish this tournament with the best possible impressions of Neymar as do the team”. Neymar put Brazil ahead 1-0 with a superb free kick in the 26th minute – and Usain Bolt celebrated along with the raucous crowd.
Brazil arrived as the main title-favorite but struggled in the beginning, being held to scoreless draws against South Africa and Iraq and becoming in danger of failing to advance past the group stage. He had two goals – including one only 15 seconds into the match for the fastest goal in Olympic history.
The Brazilian people will be hoping this allows Neymar to operate with more freedom for the national team. “We responded as necessary and we did this in the short time that was available to us”.
“That’s just a part of the Brazilian culture”, Micale said.
On Saturday a more relaxed Neymar, posted an image of his latest tattoo, the Olympic rings with the words “Rio 2016” inscribed just above his left wrist.
The celebration won’t last long, with a pair of World Cup qualifiers coming up against Ecuador and Colombia. It was also the Olympics’ first all-European final.
Advertisement
The Games star power was saved by Neymar’s heroic role with a stunning free-kick and the winning penalty in the final. It was a fitting finale that after queries and criticism of Brazilian fans’ penchant for treating every sport like football, the biggest crowd of the Games packed the Maracana to do what they know best.
