Neymar and Brazil strike Olympic gold on penalties
Saturday, August 20, 2016
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Captain Neymar curled in a superb free-kick in normal time and then scored the winning penalty as Brazil got the better of Germany in a shoot-out to clinch Olympic gold for the first time.
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Neymar coolly converted the decisive penalty to win Brazil's first gold medal in the Men's Olympic Football Tournament, the hosts defeating Germany 5-4 in a shoot-out after a 1-1 draw at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
Eight spot kicks had been scored when Freiburg's Nils Petersen – on target six times in Germany's run to the final – had his effort saved by Weverton.
That set the stage for the Barcelona forward to step up and end Brazil's wait for the only piece of silverware to have eluded them and ease some of the pain inflicted by Germany's 7-1 victory against the Seleção in the 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, a game Neymar missed due to a fractured vertebra.
Neymar had put his side ahead with a brilliant right-footed free-kick in off the underside of the crossbar just before the half-hour mark. Germany, having rattled the Brazil bar before the break through Julian Brandt and Sven Bender, got the goal they had threatened after 59 minutes when Schalke's Max Meyer swept in a low cross from right-back Jeremy Toljan.
Bronze medal match
Honduras 2-3 Nigeria