Fireworks burst over the stadium, vehicle horns blared and fans sang and tossed beer into the air.
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But speaking to Brazilian media after Saturday’s gold medal match, the 24-year-old suggested he had reached the pinnacle in terms of being the team’s on-field leader.
The win means a unified Germany are now the only World Cup winners never to have won the Olympic gold medal and the loss robbed them of a chance to complete the male and female double after their women’s team beat Sweden 2-1 on Friday.
“That was the World Cup, this is the Olympic team, ” said Micale.
Barcelona superstar Neymar put the hosts ahead in stunning fashion with a 25-yard free-kick before the break. Neymar was genuinely the happiest person in the world when this happened, and he deserved to be.
Goals from both the Brazilian Captain Neymar and his German counterpart Maximilliam Meyer proved decisive for both countries as the encounter ended 1-1 in regulation and extra time.
The stop set the stage for Neymar, as if scripted.
Neymar again played in Anderson in the second period of extra time, but Horn made the save.
“I don’t have words to say anything”, Neymar said, sobbing.
“I can’t begin to describe my feelings”.
He just expressed gratitude to his teammates, family, and friends who were there by his team during the most hard moments.
I don’t know Portuguese, but I do know emotion.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Just two weeks ago Neymar’s commitment to the Olympic team was questioned by Brazil’s fans. He did not elaborate.
The men’s soccer tournament attracted most of the attention of Brazilian fans at the Olympics.
As fate would have it, two of the biggest footballing countries in the world would meet again and challenge each other for another major worldwide prize, as Brazil and Germany faced off in the Olympic football final.
In front of 78,000 at the Maracana, Brazil got a measure of revenge as they finally won the Olympic title after losing in the finals in 1984, 1988 and 2012. It was only after the bronze medal was hung around her neck did she reveal that her father had passed away two months before the games.
“What counts is this game, the Olympic final”, he said. “This ball is mine, it’s part of history. We responded as necessary and we did this in the short time that was available to us”.
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Pele’s comments came as the closing ceremony was being held at the Maracana, drawing the curtain on the first Olympics in South America. “We have replied with good football”, he said. “There are some things that need to be fixed, but today we were able to make our people happy”.
