Improving Brazil Timing Their Olympic Gold Run to Perfection

Hosting a major competition is no guarantee of taking home the big prize, as Brazil found out so painfully in 2014. But this time round, the young Selecao team is growing in confidence with every match and is within touching distance of making a medal a certainty—although the colour still needs to be decided. 

The Olympic Games hosts are now just one match away from the final. Honduras stand in the way of the side led by Neymar, with the semi-final clash beginning just after midday local time in the heat of the Maracana. 

Brazil cannot underestimate the Central Americans. Honduras are not a particularly pretty side to watch at these Olympics, but they are rapid, physical and tough to break down. They proved as much on Saturday by shutting out South Korea in a 1-0 victory that they ground out with a mixture of extreme passion and borderline violence. 

The eventual winners committed no less than 23 fouls compared to just seven from South Korea. The Asians also dominated possession and peppered Luis Lopez with shots in the Honduras net, but as Argentina found out in the previous clash, they are a tough team to break down.

On one of the few occasions they had, a lethal counter-attack left the favourites exposed, and the excellent Alberth Elis converted to make history for Honduras. 

After the tense, open brawl that was Brazil’s quarter-final against Colombia, a similar type of test awaits in the last four. Los Cafeteros also hit hard, with play that …

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