Neymar scores first Olympic goal and takes Brazil to semis
Both of the host nation’s teams are through to the semifinals of the Olympics. Brazil male team showed more confidence during a Neymar-led win over Colombia on Saturday. Following the women’s win on Friday in dramatic shootout, the men booked their own semifinal spot Saturday night with a 2-0 quarterfinal victory.
Neymar scores first Olympic goal and takes Brazil to semis
The poster boy for the Games finally got off the mark at the fourth attempt when he curled home from 25 yards out. Neymar put his side ahead early with a stunning 12th-minute goal on a free kick. It came as an award after he was given a pretty blatant shove in the back. He finished well into the low corner of the near post.
But it was also prominent: Colombia’s so-called wall was more like a slice of Swiss cheese as Neymar’s lethal kick went through a giant hole in the three-man wall.
The game was a particularly tense issue with shoving and jostling from the opening minutes. And it carried throughout the match and a total of seven cards were handed out.
He then provoked a mass brawl between the two teams after a heavy challenge on Andres Roa. It reached a boiling point in the 40th minute as a mass confrontation on the pitch. It teetered toward a full-blown brawl with the players along the sidelines joining in. Colombia’s efforts to spoil the dominant Brazilian side were unsuccessful, though. Luan would double Brazil’s lead later on a Neymar assist.
For Marta & Co. on the women’s side some 24 hours earlier, there were no goals as their quarterfinal against Australia went to penalty kicks after 120 minutes scoreless. The shootout went eight rounds.
