AFP
Rio de Janeiro, August 11: Brazil brought their Olympic campaign back on track with a 4-0 win over Denmark even as arch South American rivals Argentina and Mexico bowed out of the tournament.
Wonder kid Gabriel Barbosa (nickname Gabigol) struck twice for Brazil while Gabriel Jesus and Luan got the two other goals to keep the hosts on track for a gold which they have never got. Brazil had drawn the first two games of their group with Iraq and South Africa.
Victory was also enough to guarantee top spot in Group A to set up a quarterfinal meeting with Colombia, Saturday.
Denmark also progressed to the last eight where they will face Nigeria as the other game in the group between Iraq and South Africa finished 1-1.
Neymar had gone from Brazil’s golden boy to whipping boy in the past week with the national team’s women’s captain Marta usurping him as the hosts’ darling after a series of sensational displays.
However, he shone in a supporting role for Brazil’s other attacking starlets to get the goals. A sigh of relief was felt across the country when ‘Gabigol’ bundled home Douglas Santos’s low cross with his shin on 26 minutes.
Jesus had admitted to having ‘sleepless nights’ after missing golden chances in both opening games. However, he made amends with a brilliant volleyed finish at the back post from Luan’s cross to dispel any lingering Brazilian doubts.
Neymar was at the heart of the third five minutes after the break when his through ball caught the Denmark defence square and Santos crossed once more for Luan to slot home. And Barbosa rounded off the scoring 10 minutes from time when his deflected effort left Danish ‘keeper Jeppe Hojbjerg helpless.
“It was a much needed victory for us,” said Jesus after the game. “It is not that we played badly in the first two matches, but then goals were not coming.”
There was no such luck for crisis-hit Argentine though. They needed a win to remain alive in the tournament, but were held to a 1-1 draw. In fact it was Honduras who took the lead in the 15th minute when Antony Lorenzo scored from the spot. Argentina saved themselves the embarrassment of a defeat with Mauricio Martinez scoring deep into stoppage time.
Meanwhile Freiburg striker Nils Petersen scored five times as World Champions Germany smashed Pacific islanders Fiji 10-0 to seal their place in the last eight behind South Korea, who beat Mexico 1-0 thanks to Kwon Chang-hoon’s stunning strike in Brasilia. It ended Mexico’s hopes of retaining the gold they had won in London.