Rio de Janeiro, Aug 18: Brazil advanced to the final of Rio Olympics 2016 men’s football after thrashing Honduras 6-0 in a semi-final game on Wednesday (August 18).
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Germany, who beat Nigeria 2-0, will face Brazil just two years after the European giants crushed them 7-1 in a traumatic World Cup semi-final humiliation. “There has been a lot of pressure on him, but he is not your average player”. “He has the gift of playing football, he delights everyone with his talent”, said Brazil coach Rogerio Micale. “He pushes Brazilian soccer to another level”.
Luis Scola scored 15 points and Manu Ginobili had 14 for Argentina in what’s expected to the final time the remaining core members of its Golden Generation play together.
And although neither side have won the Olympic gold, communist East Germany won it in 1976, that is largely irrelevant to Germany but of huge importance to Brazil and they have gone all out to break their gold medal hoodoo. The game followed a bronze medal match in which Americans Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross beat Brazil’s other women’s team, Larissa and Talita.
The captain of the Olympic team, Neymar, started the match with a bang as he stole the ball from an opposition defender and bundled it over the line after just 15 seconds had passed on the clock. “They have scored 21 goals”, said the former Borussia Dortmund striker.
Brazil fans’ hearts were in the mouths for some moments as Neymar collapsed while in mid-celebration and had to be carried off. The keeper rushed out, but Neymar pounced on the ball, and it ricocheted off Lopez into the net.
The German women’s national team is also playing in the gold medal match against Sweden on Friday, marking the first time a nation has had both its men and women in an Olympic soccer final.
“I’m happy for the goals but the most important thing is that we made it to the final”, said Gabriel Jesus, who before the Olympics signed with English club Manchester City.
Six minutes into the second half, an unmarked Marquinhos got on the end of a Neymar corner kick and scored easily from close range.
Brazil need to be wary of Germany’s attackers, not the other way around, according to Horst Hrubesch.
But his recent level of play – victories over Denmark in the group stage, Colombia in the quarterfinals, and Honduras in the semis – has been more than enough to bring the fans back to his side. It would be the first Olympic medal for Honduras. Now we can show them who are kings of football.
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Schalke’s 20-year-old attacking midfielder Max Meyer shot a magnificent cross over Nigeria keeper Emmanuel Daniel that found teammate Lukas Klostermann for the easy goal at the ninth minute.
