In a historic match, Brazil’s women’s football team secured a spot in the final of the tournament at the Paris Olympic Games after defeating Spain 4-2 on Tuesday afternoon (6) at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille.
The team, led by coach Arthur Elias, took the lead early in the match, at 4 minutes, when Priscila pressured goalkeeper Cata Coll, who ended up kicking the ball into defender Irene Paredes, resulting in an own goal.
Brazil, even without veteran Marta – suspended due to a red card in a qualifying match – showed maturity from that point on, capitalizing on their lead by solidifying their defense and relying on quick counter-attacks to create scoring opportunities. After several attempts, the Brazilian team managed to extend their lead at 48 minutes when midfielder Yasmim advanced freely down the left flank and delivered a perfect cross for Gabi Portilho to score with a first-time finish.
After the break, the team took full control of the match, creating excellent opportunities. After several attempts, the Brazilian team managed to increase the score with two more goals.
Spain managed to score two goals in response.
It is worth noting that Spain is the current world champion and was one of the favorites for the Olympic title.
Marta watched from the stands
The number 10 of the national team received a two-match suspension due to her red card against Spain in the last round of the group stage — she served the first match against France in the quarter-finals. The CBF even appealed to the CAS (Sports Justice) to lift the punishment for the second match, but the request was denied. The athlete watched the game directly from the stands.
Brazil returns to the Olympic final in women’s football after 16 years. In Beijing 2008, the team was defeated by the USA 1-0. Four years earlier, in Athens 2004, the team was also overcome by the Americans in the final.
Do you know who Brazil will face in the final? The Americans, obviously!
The two teams will meet next Saturday (10) at 11 AM (Eastern Time, USA).
The final will mark Marta’s farewell to the Olympics after six participations. Not bad if she could bring home the gold.
Source: Agência Brasil and UOL