XXIV Olympic Football Tournament (Rio de Janeiro 2016)

Game Details

(From 4-08-2016 to 20-08-2016)

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Estádio Nacional de Brasília “Mané Garrincha” (Brasília) DATE: 4-08-2016 (13:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 18.000 REFEREE: César Arturo Ramos (MEX) GOALS: - BOOKED: Ibrahim (54’) / Jønsson (77’), K. Larsen (87’)
		Iraq - Denmark
		0-0 (0-0)
IRAQ Hamid Tareq, Ibrahim, Nadhim, Adnan Karim, Ahmed (Abdul-Rahim 65’), Ismail, Abdul-Amir (c) Hisni (Kamel 66’), Attwan COACH: Abdul-Ghani Shahad			DENMARK Højbjerg Desler, Eddi Gomes, Gregor, Blåbjerg Nielsen (E. Larsen 60’), Maxsø, Jønsson (K. Larsen 85’), Børsting Vibe (c), Brock-Madsen (Bruun Larsen 79’) COACH: Niels Frederiksen
GAME SUMMARY In the opening match of the men’s Olympic football tournament, Denmark and Iraq played to a 0-0 draw at Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasília. The main story around the Iraq team was the circumstances back in their home country, but from very early on it was clear that the young Iraqi players were there to prove a point and play football. However, it was Denmark’s captain Lasse Vibe who nearly provided a dream start for his team in the third minute, but his shot hit off the post. Following this close call, Iraq found their footing in the match as they held the majority of the possession early on. Their first chance came in the sixth minute as Sherko Karim used his speed to burst past his marker before shooting low towards the far post, where Danish goalkeeper Jeppe Højbjerg had no problems to collect the effort easily. New chances fell to Humam Tareq and Amjad Attwan, as it was all Iraq who maintained position well and limited any Danish attacks. In the 26th minute, Denmark had its second scoring chance of the game at the end of a counterattack when Casper Nielsen struck a shot that forced Iraq goalkeeper Mohammed Hamid into a diving save, then the rebound was cleared by a defender before Nicolai Brock-Madsen could capitalize and nod the ball in. Late on in the first half Ali Adnan had two free kicks saved by Højbjerg as the teams went into halftime scoreless. Denmark had no answer for Iraq in the second half and seemed content to let the game fizzle out for a draw, or win it themselves on a fortunate set-piece. Ali Adnan, Iraq’s left-back, was the danger man of the match as his free kicks tested Højbjerg time and again. Midway the half, Iraq’s coach Abdul-Ghani Shahad introduced Mohannad Abdul-Rahim and Mahdi Kamel to try and find the goal his team was pushing for. The substitutions almost paid off immediately as a flick on from a goal kick found Abdul-Rahim, who turned Danish defender Pascal Gregor before shooting towards goal, but he dragged his effort wide. Soon after, Kamel had an opportunity to give Iraq the lead as well. Adnan had another free kick tipped over the crossbar by Højbjerg for a corner kick in the 88th minute. The left-back then put in a great delivery which deflected off Eddi Gomes and off the post before Kamel tried to pop it in. Højbjerg was alive to threat and made a spectacular low save to prevent Iraq from winning it late in the game. The ball was cleared out before Adnan crossed it back into a wide open Abdul-Rahim, but the forward could only nod his header just wide of the far post. The last chance of the game fell to the lively Kamel in injury time, but his volley was a tame one and Højbjerg had no problems collecting the ball. In the end, both teams had to settle for one point in their opening game.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Estádio Olímpico “João Havelange” (Rio de Janeiro) DATE: 4-08-2016 (15:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 20.000 REFEREE: Sandro Meira Ricci (BRA) GOALS: 1-0 (Quioto 13’); 2-0 (Pereira 33’); 2-1 (Bendebka 68’); 3-1 (Lozano 79’); 3-2 (Bounedjah 85’) BOOKED: Palacios (88’) / Bounedjah (58’), Meziane (76’), Belkebla (90+’)
		Honduras - Algeria
		3-2 (2-0)
HONDURAS Luis López Álvarez, Pereira, Palacios, Vargas, Brayan García Banegas (Espinal 78’), Acosta (c) (Paz 86’), Quioto Elis (Benavídez 67’), Lozano COACH: Jorge Luis Pinto			ALGERIA Chaâl Benghit, Demmou, Kenniche (c) (Abdellaoui 30’), Ferhani Aït-Atmane (Darfalou 71’), Bendebka, Belkebla Benkablia (Meziane 60’), Bounedjah, Haddouche COACH: Pierre-André Schürmann
GAME SUMMARY In the opening match of Group D, Honduras edged Algeria 3-2 at Olympic Stadium in Rio. The opening minutes of the match were cagey, with both teams committing numerous fouls in an attempt to establish their presence on the match. Algeria would create the first real opportunity in the 12th minute when Baghdad Bounedjah fired a shot just wide of the Honduran goal after a nice piece of individual skill to get himself free for a clear attempt at goal. Just a minute later, Honduras would strike first. Forward Alberth Elis played a pass down the right side to “Choco” Lozano, who ran across the Algerian defense towards goal, turned his defender and fired a left-footed shot that was deflected by Algerian goalkeeper Farid Chaâl into the path of Romell Quioto, who slammed home the rebound for the 1-0 lead. Algerian coach Pierre-André Schürmann was forced to make an early substitution in the 30th minute as captain Riyadh Kenniche picked up an injury and was unable to continue. Honduras would double their lead in the 33rd minute when, off a hopeful cross from right-back Kevin Álvarez, central defender Marcelo Pereira redirected a beautiful header from the edge of the penalty area that hit off the crossbar and bounced over the line (although instant replay was needed to confirm the goal). The Central American side would take their 2-0 lead into the halftime break, after a first half in with Algeria lacked quality in the final third of the field and Honduras proved very dangerous on the counterattack. Algeria started off the second half brightly, with Bounedjah flashing a shot just wide of the Honduran goal in the opening minute after a clever pass from Mohammed Benkablia. The African side continued to have the better of play as the half went on, with Honduras struggling to regain the foothold they had in the opening forty-five minutes. Algerian forward Abderrahmane Meziane was brought on in the 60th minute in place of Benkablia in an effort to provide a fresh scoring threat for the African vice-champions in 2015. Meziane came close to getting a goal back for his side in the 65th minute, as his header from a looping cross flashed just over the goal. The momentum swing after halftime finally produced a result in the 68th minute, when Bounedjah flicked on a long throw-in to Sofiane Bendekba, who redirected the ball past Luis López to pull one back for Algeria. Ten minutes later, however, and much against the run of play, Honduras would extend their lead after the Algerian keeper dropped a cross that should have been easily handled and the ever-ready Lozano tapped the ball into the net from short range. Algeria would keep fighting though, and found another goal in the 85th minute after a cross into the box was brilliantly controlled and finished by Bounedjah to make it 3-2. That would be the final score of the contest as Honduras hung on for all three points, even after being totally outplayed by the brave Desert Warriors in the second half.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Estádio Nacional de Brasília “Mané Garrincha” (Brasília) DATE: 4-08-2016 (16:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 69.389 REFEREE: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (SPA) GOALS: - BOOKED: Thiago Maia (73’), Marquinhos (90+’) / Mvala (56’), Mvala (59’ > RC), Mathoho (90’) [Incidents: Mvala was sent off (min. 59).]
		Brazil - South Africa
		0-0 (0-0)
BRAZIL Wéverton Zeca, Marquinhos, Rodrigo Caio, Douglas Santos (William 84’) Thiago Maia, Renato Augusto (Rafinha 67’), F. Anderson (Luan 60’) Gabriel, Gabriel Jesus, Neymar (c) COACH: Rogério Micale			SOUTH AFRICA Khune Mathoho, Coetzee, Modiba (Ntshangase 70’), Mobara Masuku (Morris 58’), Motupa, Mekoa, Mvala Dolly (c), Mothiba COACH: Owen da Gama
GAME SUMMARY Brazil started their quest for an Olympic gold medal with a disappointing 0-0 draw against South Africa. Despite fielding a fearsome three-pronged attack with Barcelona striker Neymar da Silva and talented youngsters Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Barbosa “Gabigol”, Brazil was not able to find the net at the packed Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasília. In an even first half, South Africa threatened first when Lebo Mothiba dragged a presentable opening wide from inside the area. As the hosts began to take control, Neymar stung the hands of Itumeleng Khune. The Barcelona attacker then whipped a curling shot onto the roof of the net and Gabriel Barbosa forced Khune into action from distance, but the packed crowd in Mané Garrincha Stadium grew increasingly restless as Brazil struggled for inspiration in attack. Near the hour mark South Africa were dealt a blow when defensive midfielder Mothobi Mvala picked up a second booking in quick succession and was sent off, but despite their territorial dominance Brazil could not find the goal they needed to calm their nerves. Gabriel Jesus, newly signed by Manchester City, had the game’s best chance in the 69th minute, but missed an open net with a close-range shot that struck the post. Gabriel Barbosa was twice denied at close range by Khune and Neymar almost squeezed a shot home in stoppage time after a run from the left, but Brazil were forced to settle for a point.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova (Salvador) DATE: 4-08-2016 (17:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 16.500 REFEREE: Alireza Faghani (IRN) GOALS: 1-0 (Peralta 52’); 1-1 (Gnabry 58’); 2-1 (Pizarro 62’); 2-2 (Ginter 78’) BOOKED: L. Bender (26’)
		Mexico - Germany
		2-2 (0-0)
MEXICO Talavera Abella, Montes, Salcedo, Torres Nilo Pizarro (Cisneros 81’), Gutiérrez, Pérez, Lozano (Guzmán 83’) Bueno, Peralta (c) (Torres 74’) COACH: Raúl Gutiérrez			GERMANY Horn Toljan, Ginter, Süle, Klostermann S. Bender, L. Bender, Goretzka (c) (Gnabry 28’), Brandt Meyer (Christiansen 89’), Selke (Petersen 84’) COACH: Horst Hrubesch
GAME SUMMARY In a clash of the two favorites to advance from Group C, Mexico and Germany played to a 2-2 draw at the Fonte Nova Arena in rainy Salvador. The reigning Olympic winners had the first chance of the match in the 8th minute as talented winger Hirving Lozano, off a headed clearance, ripped a rising shot from distance that sailed just over the crossbar. As the half progressed, Germany started to play with more purpose and gained footing in the match, but didn’t have any major threats on the Mexican goal. El Tri almost struck first in the 27th minute as Lozano found himself in front of the goal, but his shot was denied by German goalkeeper Timo Horn. A minute later, Germany coach Horst Hrubesch had to make an early substitution as midfield leader and captain Leon Goretzka picked up an injury. The first half continued on with very few chances between the two sides, and the score remained 0-0 at halftime. Seven minutes into the second half, veteran striker Oribe Peralta put his side in front as he headed home a corner kick from midfielder Michael Pérez. Barely a minute later, Germany almost answered right back as substitute Serge Gnabry found space in the penalty area and drove a shot just wide of the Mexican goal. But in the 58th minute Gnabry put the Germans level at 1-1 after picking a gorgeous through-ball by forward Davie Selke and calmly finishing past Mexican goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera. However, in the 62rd minute Rodolfo Pizarro would put Mexico back in the driver’s seat. A cross into the box found the head of Marco Bueno, who redirected the ball off the crossbar. The rebound fell kindly to the feet of Pizarro, who tapped in the rebound to give his team a 2-1 lead. Lozano had a chance to make it 3-1 for Mexico in the 74th minute, but his shot was saved from point-blank range by Horn. After a better spell of purposeful possession, Germany found the equalizer they were looking for in the 78th minute. Winger Julian Brandt whipped in a corner kick that defender Matthias Ginter rose up to meet and head home to make the score 2-2. Although both teams pushed to find the winner in the final minutes, the had to settle for a point apiece.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Arena da Amazônia (Manaus) DATE: 4-08-2016 (18:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 29.996 REFEREE: Fahad al-Mirdasi (KSA) GOALS: 0-1 (Teo Gutiérrez 17’); 1-1 (Ishak 43’); 2-1 (Ajdarević 62’); 2-2 (Dorlan Pabón [p.] 75’) BOOKED: D. Balanta (48’), Palacios (50’), Pérez (83’)
		Sweden - Colombia
		2-2 (1-1)
SWEDEN Linde Lundqvist, Milošević, Nilsson, Konaté Tibbling, Khalili, Fransson, Ajdarević (c) (Berisha 90+’) Quaison (Sema 78’), Ishak (Tanković 86’) COACH: Håkan Ericson			COLOMBIA Bonilla D. Balanta, Palacios, Tesillo, Machado Roa (K. Balanta 65’), Pérez, Barrios M. A. Borja (Preciado 65’), Teo Gutiérrez (c), Dorlan Pabón COACH: Carlos Restrepo
GAME SUMMARY Sweden and Colombia tied 2-2 at the end of an entertaining game in hot and humid Manaus. While the Europeans had more possession in the opening ten minutes of the match and were dealing nicely with Colombia’s high-pressing, it was the South Americans who nearly got on the scoresheet first when a long diagonal pass fell to midfielder Andrés Roa inside the penalty area, who then struck a venomous volley that forced Swedish goalkeeper Andreas Linde to make a diving fingertip save. It didn’t take long though for Colombia to make a breathrough. Forward Dorlan Pabón slipped a perfectly weighted through-pass to captain Teo Gutiérrez, who took a touch and calmly slotted the ball past Linde for the 1-0 lead in the 17th minute. Sweden almost found the tying goal in the 25th minute when Astrit Ajdarević fired a left-footed shot just outside the box off an attempted header clearance by a Colombian defender. The Swedish captain’s shot was saved by Colombian goalkeeper Cristian Bonilla, who then swallowed up the rebound attempt from forward Mikael Ishak. Throughout much of the first half, Sweden continued to have the majority of possession, but Colombia was content with letting the Swedes have the ball and hitting them on the counterattack. A perfect example of that came in the 32d minute, when Dorlan Pabón was played by a pass down the left, where he then beat his defender inside the penalty area and ripped a shot right at Linde. In the 43rd minute, Sweden would even the scoreline thanks to Ishak, who found himself in a pocket of space outside the penalty area to laser a shot into the top corner. The two sides would head into the halftime break knotted up at 1-1. After a sluggish opening ten minutes of the second half for both teams, the Scandinavians almost accidentally found the go-ahead goal when a mis-hit cross by Ajdarević forced Bonilla to tip the ball over the goal as it appeared destined to float into the net at the backpost. But in the 62nd minute the Swedish captain found the back of the net with intent this time. A shot by midfielder Robin Quaison was parried to the side by Bonilla, and Ajdarević was in the right spot to pounce on the rebound and give Sweden a 2-1 lead. With fifteen minutes remaining, Colombia would draw level on a penalty kick by Dorlan Pabón after a cross sent into the box bounced up and struck the hand of Swedish defender Joakim Nilsson. The final stages of the game saw a lot of back and forth action where tired legs created a game that became stretched out. Colombia almost snatched the winner in the 85th minute as a Dorlan Pabón cross ended up at the feet of forward Harold Preciado, but his attempt on frame was saved at point-blank range by Linde.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Estádio Olímpico “João Havelange” (Rio de Janeiro) DATE: 4-08-2016 (18:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 37.407 REFEREE: Walter Alexander López (GUA) GOALS: 1-0 (Gonçalo Paciência 66’); 2-0 (Pité 84’) BOOKED: Tobias Figueiredo (33’), Sérgio Oliveira (70’) / Giannetti (2’), Magallán (56’)
		Portugal - Argentina
		2-0 (0-0)
PORTUGAL Bruno Varela Fernando Fonseca, Edgar Ié, Tobias Figueiredo, Ricardo Esgaio (c) Tomás, A. Martins (T. Silva 76’), S. Oliveira (Pité 71’), B. Fernandes Salvador Agra, Gonçalo Paciência (Tiago Ilori 81’) COACH: Rui Jorge			ARGENTINA Rulli Magallán (Pavón 64’), Giannetti, Cuesta (c), Soto Gómez, Ascacíbar, Martínez, Espinoza (Lo Celso 72’) Correa (Simeone 79’), Calleri COACH: Julio Olarticoechea
GAME SUMMARY At Rio’s Olympic Stadium, Portugal defeated Argentina 2-0 in the duel between the two favorites to advance in Group D. It was Argentina’s first Olympic loss in 20 years, after winning the gold medal at the 2004 and 2008 Games and not appearing at the 2000 and 2012 Olympics. A goal by Gonçalo Paciência and a fatal error by Argentine goalkeeper Gero Rulli on a late long-distance shot from Pité gave all three points to Portugal. Despite his gross mistake, Rulli deserves credit because the Portuguese, who came on like a hurricane in the final minutes of the game, bombarded him with shots on goal, any several of which could have raised the score to embarrassing levels for Argentina. The first half was relatively level, with Argentina holding more possession while Portugal threatened on the counterattack. The South Americans had a great chance to score early in the second half as Jonathan Calleri chipped the ball over Portuguese goalkeeper Bruno Varela, but the shot hit off the crossbar to keep the score 0-0. In the 66th minute, Gonçalo Paciência opened the scoring as he received the ball at the top of the box and, true to his surname, bid his time to direct a left-footed effort into the corner of the net to give Portugal the lead. Argentine substitute Cristian Pavón had his shot saved by Bruno Varela in the 74th minute as Argentina looked to equalize. The Albiceleste chances of getting a result from the match took a big hit in the 84th minute as Pité scored on a long-range effort that was awfully mishandled by Rulli, who let the ball go in between his legs and into the back of the net to make the score 2-0. Giovanni Simeone (“Cholo” Simeone’s son) had his overhead kick saved off the line by a Portuguese defender in stoppage time as the game ended 2-0.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova (Salvador) DATE: 4-08-2016 (20:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 16.000 REFEREE: Malang Diédhiou (SEN) GOALS: 0-1 (Ryu Seung-woo 32’); 0-2 (Kwon Chang-hoon 62’); 0-3 (Kwon Chang-hoon 63’); 0-4 (Ryu Seung-woo 63’); 0-5 (Son Heung-min [p.] 72’); 0-6 (Suk Hyun-joon 77’); 0-7 (Suk Hyun-joon 90’); 0-8 (Ryu Seung-woo 90+’) BOOKED: Dreloa (71’) / Choi Kyu-baek (3’) [Incidents: Moon Chang-jin missed a penalty shot (min. 38).]
		Fiji - South Korea
		0-8 (0-1)
FIJI Tamanisau Tuivuna, Dreloa, Singh, P. Naidu Verevou, Waranaivalu (Nakalevu 79’), Chand, Baravilala (Khem 67’) Krishna (c), Hughes (Waqa 67’) COACH: Frank Farina			SOUTH KOREA Koo Sung-yoon Lee Seul-chan, Choi Kyu-baek, Jung Seung-hyun, Sim Sang-min Moon Chang-jin, Jang Hyun-soo (c), Lee Chang-min (Kim Min-tae 80’) Kwon C.H. (Son H.M. 70’), Hwang H.C. (Suk H.J. 69’), Ryu S.W. COACH: Shin Tae-yong
GAME SUMMARY South Korea thrashed Fiji 8-0 at the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador. The Taeguk Warriors were in control throughout the match and commenced their onslaught early on, with forward Hwang Hee-chan and wingback Lee Seul-chan taking shots in the first five minutes. South Korea then went through a cold spell, their possession not leading to any dangerous opportunity. Midfielder Moon Chang-jin fired a weak shot right into the Fiji goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau in the 24th minute, then winger Kwon Chang-hoon jumped on a loose ball from the top of the box at the half-hour mark only to hit the side of the net. Moon Chang-jin’s point-blank header in the 31st minute was met by a spectacular diving save from Tamanisau. The Koreans finally broke the deadlock in their next attack when Kwon Chang-hoon sent a long cross from the right that landed on the chest of Ryu Seung-woo, who deftly controlled the ball and poked it past Tamanisau as he fell down to make it 1-0. Six minutes later South Korea had a chance to double their lead when Ryu Seung-woo was brought down by Filipe Baravilala in the Fiji box, but Moon Chang-jin struck the penalty kick off the post and Ryu Seung-woo fired the rebound well wide of the net. After being outshot 15-2 by South Korea in the first half, Fiji showed a little more lift to open the second half. The Koreans should have doubled their lead in the 54th minute, but Hwang Hee-chan was denied by Tamanisau’s brilliant save. The Fiji goalkeeper stood on his head again five minutes later to block Ryu Seung-woo’s shot from the left side of the area. Tamanisau’s magic ran out soon, however, as South Korea broke the game wide up with a record three goals in less than two minutes to make the score 4-0. In the 62th minute, Kwon Chang-hoon converted a fine pass from Moon Chang-jin, and the next minute he was at it again. Within seconds, Ryu Seung-woo made it 4-0 for South Korea. Four more goals in the late part of the game resulted in a winning scoreline of 8-0. Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min, who came off the bench midway the second half, converted a penalty in the 72nd minute for a 5-0 lead. However, South Korea were not done yet. Following Fiji’s first and only dangerous chance in the game, a Roy Krishna curled shot in the 76th minute that went wide of the far post, Ryu Seung-woo was denied a hat trick by Tamanisau, but the rebound went right to Suk Hyun-joon, who struck it home for a 6-0 advantage. The FC Porto forward headed in a corner kick in the 90th minute, and Ryu Seung-woo finally completed his hat-trick in injury time to round out the scoring just before the final whistle.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Arena da Amazônia (Manaus) DATE: 4-08-2016 (21:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 29.996 REFEREE: Clément Turpin (FRA) GOALS: 1-0 (Sadiq 6’); 1-1 (Koroki [p.] 9’); 2-1 (Etebo 11’); 2-2 (Minamino 13’); 3-2 (Etebo 42’); 4-2 (Etebo [p.] 51’); 5-2 (Etebo 66’); 5-3 (Asano 70’); 5-4 (Suzuki 90+’) BOOKED: Amuzie (7’)
		Nigeria - Japan
		5-4 (3-2)
NIGERIA Daniel Sincere, Shehu, Troost-Ekong, Amuzie Etebo, Okechukwu, Mikel (c) (Saliu 87’), Mohammed (Madu 73’) Sadiq, Ezekiel (Udo 78’) COACH: Samson Siasia			JAPAN Kushibiki Muroya, Ueda, Shiotani, Fujiharu Nakajima(Yajima 76’), Endo(c), Harakawa(Asano 53’), Oshima, Mina. Koroki (Suzuki 70’) COACH: Makoto Teguramori
GAME SUMMARY After arriving to Brazil only six hours before the game due to an incredible traveling snafu, jet-lagged Nigeria beat Japan 5-4 in a crazy showdown. The Blue Samurais had the first opportunity of the match in the 3rd minute, when left-back Hiroki Fujiharu curled in a cross to the backpost that midfielder Ryota Oshima directed first time on goal. Soon after, however, the Super Eagles would take the lead when Imoh Ezekiel turned his defender inside the penalty area and fired a shot on goal that was parried away by Japanese goalkeeper Masatoshi Kushibiki right to the feet of Umar Sadiq, who tapped home the rebound. Nigeria’s lead wouldn’t last long as defender Stanley Amuzie clumsily fouled a Japanese attacker in the penalty area in the 7th minute. Forward Shinzo Koroki promptly buried the penalty kick to even the match at 1-1. With constant action at both ends of the field, Nigerian defender Abdullahi Shehu broke free down the right side and lofted a long cross into the penalty area that was magnificently controlled and finished by attacking midfielder Peter Etebo. It was obvious by then that defending would be at a premium in this game, as Japan would level things just two minutes later, when Takumi Minamino took a weighted pass in stride towards goal and swiftly slotted the ball through Nigerian goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel’s legs. After only thirteen minutes, the contest was squared up at 2-2. In the 19th minute, Amuzie ventured forward and rifled a long range shot that was pushed out for a corner kick by Kushibiki. Midway the first half the game settled down, with both teams having spells of play in each others’ ends of the field. On the stroke of halftime, however, and out of virtually nothing, Nigeria would take the lead again when Etebo capitalized on a failed clearance by the Japanese defense. Less than five minutes into the second half, the African team would earn a penalty after Sadiq was dragged down in the box by a Japanese defender. Etebo stepped up and ferociously completed his hat-trick, blasting the ball past Kushibiki to give his team a 4-2 lead. As the game progressed, Nigeria’s confidence continued to grow. Evidenced by spells of strong possession and attractive attacking movements, the Africans’ grip on the game became stronger. A fifth goal was in the cards and that came in the 66th minute from the impressive Etebo, who notched his fourth goal of the game after John Obi Mikel’s cross was cleared by Kushibiki into his path. After giving up three straight goals, Japan would pull one back in the 70th minute when Fujiharu broke down the left side and slid a pass across the face of goal to Takuma Asano, who cleverly backheeled the ball into the net. The Asians pressed further in the final twenty minutes of the contest, but were unable to unlock the Nigerian defense until stoppage time, when Musashi Suzuki curled a shot from inside the box past Daniel after twisting his defender.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova (Salvador) DATE: 7-08-2016 (13:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 11.200 REFEREE: Gehad Grisha (EGY) GOALS: 1-0 (Krishna 11’); 1-1 (Gutiérrez 48’); 1-2 (Gutiérrez 55’); 1-3 (Gutiérrez 58’); 1-4 (Salcedo 67’); 1-5 (Gutiérrez 73’) BOOKED: Nakalevu (36’), Khem (70’) / Abella (90’)
		Fiji - Mexico
		1-5 (1-0)
FIJI Tamanisau P. Naidu, Dreloa, Singh, Tuivuna (Baravilala 81’) Chand, Nakalevu (Waranaivalu 61’), Khem, Hughes (Nabenia 70’) Krishna (c), Verevou COACH: Frank Farina			MEXICO Talavera Abella, Montes (Aguirre 71’), Salcedo, Torres Nilo Pérez, Gutiérrez, Pizarro (Cisneros 35’), Lozano (Poncho González 46’) Bueno, Peralta (c) COACH: Raúl Gutiérrez
GAME SUMMARY Mexico overcame an early scare to defeat Fiji 5-1 in Salvador. With both teams feeling each other out in the opening minutes of the match, attempting to get a grip on possession, it would be the underdogs who would stunningly score first in the 11th minute. After a Mexico pass was intercepted, a long, high cross from the left side was lofted into the air by a Fiji midfielder towards the edge of the penalty area. Mexican goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera raced out of his net in an attempt to clear the cross, yet he was beaten to it by Fiji forward and captain Roy Krishna, who headed the ball into the open net to give the tiny country from Oceania its first goal of the tournament and a shocking 1-0 lead over the reigning Olympic champions. As the half continued, Mexico started to gain a little bit more possession, but didn’t create many dangerous scoring opportunities. Winger Hirving Lozano had Mexico’s lone chance of the half in the 32nd minute when he struck a venomous shot from inside the penalty area, but right at goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau. Fiji, who defended valiantly for the entire first half and even created some half-chances on the counterattack, reached the halftime break with a stunning 1-0 lead over the Olympic champions. It took Mexico only three minutes after the restart to find an equalizer. Mexican winger Carlos Cisneros chased a ball that appeared to have gone over the endline and out of play and whipped it in towards the top of the penalty area, where midfielder Erick Gutiérrez controlled the pass, turned, and fired a shot that deflected off a Fiji defender and into the goal. In the 55th minute, el Tri would take the lead when forward Oribe Peralta clipped a left-footed pass in the penalty area to the chest of Gutiérrez, who controlled it and fired a left-footed shot past Tamanisau. Mexico found its groove and in the 58th minute Gutiérrez clinched his hat-trick. Cisneros, once again, made a run down the right side towards the endline and slipped a pass across the goalmouth that found the on-charging Gutiérrez, whose first-time touch ended in the net to give his team a comfortable 3-1 lead. The American side would make it 4-1 in the 67th minute when a corner kick was flicked on by Peralta to the feet of defender Carlos Salcedo, who redirected the ball with his left foot over the line. In the 73rd minute, Gutiérrez would impressively notch his fourth goal of the match. Off a throw-in, Peralta flicked a pass on to the Pachuca midfielder, who strode in on goal and cheekily lobbed the ball over Tamanisau to make the scoreline 5-1. The Mexicans breezed through the rest of the contest and comfortably secured the three points and a place atop the Group C standings.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Estádio Olímpico “João Havelange” (Rio de Janeiro) DATE: 7-08-2016 (15:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 32.928 REFEREE: Roddy Alberto Zambrano (ECU) GOALS: 1-0 (Elis 1’); 1-1 (Tobias Figueiredo 21’); 1-2 (Gonçalo Paciência 36’) BOOKED: Ramírez (40’), Palacios (47’) / Sérgio Oliveira (9’), Tobias Figueiredo (42’)
		Honduras - Portugal
		1-2 (1-2)
HONDURAS Luis López Brayan García, Palacios, Vargas, Pereira Ramírez (Salas 46’), Acosta (c), Banegas (Benavídez 69’), Quioto Elis, Lozano COACH: Jorge Luis Pinto			PORTUGAL Bruno Varela Fernando Fonseca, Edgar Ié, Tobias Figueiredo, Ricardo Esgaio (c) Tomás, S. Agra (Mané 59’), B. Fernandes, S. Oliveira (C. Ramos 74’) André Martins, Gonçalo Paciência (Pité 70’) COACH: Rui Jorge
GAME SUMMARY Portugal claimed first place in Group D and clinched a spot in the quarterfinals after beating Honduras 2-1. The match got off to a wild start as Honduras opened the scoring less than 40 seconds into the match. Forward Alberth Ellis received a cross in the box and put a diving half volley into the back of the net to give the Central American side an unsuspected lead. Portugal responded in the following minutes with a few chances of their own, but were unable to find a goal. The match continued at a quick pace for the opening 20 minutes. Portugal equalized in the 21st minute when, off a short corner kick, Tobias Figueiredo found himself wide open in the box to head in a cross. The Europeans then took the lead in the 36th minute as Gonçalo Paciência gathered a deflected shot and slotted the ball past Honduras goalkeeper Luis López. The teams concluded an exciting first half with Portugal leading 2-1. The second half began very scrappily until Luis López was called into action on three separate occasions when Portugal came forward in numbers, and somehow the goalkeeper managed to keep the score to 2-1. Yet another chance came and went for Portugal as substitute Carlos Mané was played through, but he put his shot over the bar when he should have done better. Honduras almost punished the miss a few minutes later when a lovely cross into the box found striker “Choco” Lozano unmarked at the back post, but somehow he put his header wide when it was harder to miss the target. Portugal almost went further in front when Honduras defender Allans Vargas headed into his own net, but Luis López got down well to make a very good save to keep his side in the game. There were very few chances after this as the Portuguese players saw the game out to make it two wins from two in group D.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova (Salvador) DATE: 7-08-2016 (16:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 17.121 REFEREE: Néstor Pitana (ARG) GOALS: 0-1 (Hwang Hee-chan 25’); 1-1 (Gnabry 33’); 2-1 (Selke 55’); 2-2 (Son Heung-min 57’); 2-3 (Suk Hyun-jun 86’); 3-3 (Gnabry 90+’) BOOKED: Süle (89’)
		Germany - South Korea
		3-3 (1-1)
GERMANY Horn Toljan, Ginter, Süle, Klostermann Brandt, S. Bender, Meyer (c), L. Bender, Gnabry Selke (Petersen 83’) COACH: Horst Hrubesch			SOUTH KOREA Kim D.J. Lee S.C., Choi K.B. (Lee C.D. 46’), Jung S.H., Sim S.M. Jang HS (c), Park YW, Kwon CH (Ryu SW 82’), Moon CJ (Suk HJ 75’) Hwang H.C., Son H.M. COACH: Shin Tae-yong
GAME SUMMARY In a key game in Group C, Germany and South Korea tied 3-3 at the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador. The Taeguk Warriors would have the first half-chance of the match in the 6th minute when Germany midfielder Lars Bender was stripped of the ball by Korean attacker Hwang Hee-chan, who broke in on goal only to send a tame shot at the hands of German goalkeeper Timo Horn. As the first half developed, both sides looked to counterattack quickly whenever possession of the ball was won. While ball retention and speed of play didn’t always develop into full-blown scoring chances for either team, the individual skill on display was apparent. In the 25th minute, South Korea tallied the first goal. From a Kwon Chang-hoon corner kick into the penalty area, the ball ricocheted off a German defender and fell right to Hwang Hee-chan on the corner of the area, who coolly finished past Horn for the 1-0 lead. Germany nearly answered right back in the 26th minute when forward Davie Selke surged through the center of the field and fired a shot from just outside the penalty area that whistled past the Korean goal. In the 33rd minute, the Germans would find the equalizer they were searching for. Serge Gnabry, the sparkplug off the bench for Germany against Mexico, brilliantly finished past Kim Dong-joon from just inside the penalty area after using a Korean defender as a screen. While the Europeans gradually started to have more possession and the better of play, Korea looked very dangerous on the counterattack. Overall, the first half was even and heading into halftime the score was 1-1. Three minutes into the second half, Korea was almost handed a goal on a silver platter after Horn tried to dribble in his own penalty area. He took a heavy touch that got away from him but he bailed himself out by barely blocking Kwon Chang-hoon’s attempt on goal. In the 55th minute, the Germans would be rewarded for their quality and sharp movements in the final third. Midfielder Max Meyer slipped his way into the penalty area and layed off a delicate little pass to Selke, who scooped the ball over Kim Dong-joon to make the scoreline 2-1 in favor of the Germans. But that lead was short-lived. In the 57th minute, Tottenham Hotspurs’ attacking midfielder and arguably Korea’s best player, Son Heung-min, advanced into the penalty area and diced a German defender with a beautiful step-over before slotting a perfect finish through the legs of Horn to tie the game at 2-2. The equalizer gave the Koreans life as they started to press Germany, dictate play through more purposeful possession, and create more chances for themselves. However, just as it was the Koreans who looked extra dangerous on the counterattack in the first half, Germany looked very threatening on the break in the second half. South Korea’s energy and positive play would pay dividends in the 86th minute. Defender Lee Seul-chan blew past a German defender on the endline and whipped in a cross that was steered into the net by substitute forward Suk Hyun-jun. Germany wasn’t going to let a point slip away though. In the final minute of stoppage time, a Gnabry free kick from just outside the penalty area took a massive deflection and found its way into the net to tie the game back up at 3-3, this time for good.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Arena da Amazônia (Manaus) DATE: 7-08-2016 (18:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 23.892 REFEREE: Matt Conger (NZL) GOALS: 0-1 (Sadiq 40’) BOOKED: Lundqvist (60’), Sema (79’) / Umar (85’)
		Sweden - Nigeria
		0-1 (0-1)
SWEDEN Linde Lundqvist (Une Larsson 81’), Milošević, Nilsson, Konaté Tibbling, Fransson (Sema 62’), Khalili, Quaison (Tanković 69’) Ajdarević (c), Ishak COACH: Håkan Ericson			NIGERIA Daniel Shehu (Udo 88’), Troost-Ekong, Sincere, Amuzie Ezekiel, Okechukwu, Mikel (c) (Madu 79’), Mohammed, Etebo Sadiq (Umar 74’) COACH: Samson Siasia
GAME SUMMARY Nigeria defeated Sweden 1-0 to claim top spot in Group B. The African side started on the front foot, holding possession and putting pressure on Sweden’s defense. Nigeria almost took the lead as forward Umar Sadiq got in on goal against Andreas Linde, but the Swedish goalkeeper was up to the challenge. In the 23rd minute Sweden had their best scoring opportunity of the first half as Mikael Ishak made a run behind Nigeria’s backline, but his volley attempt went wide of the goal. The Scandinavians had few chances the rest of the half as Nigeria established control in the match. Peter Etebo, who scored four goals in his team’s first Olympic match, had a golden opportunity in the 36th minute when Imoh Ezekiel found him wide open in the box, but the Nigerian attacking midfielder sent his header just over the crossbar. Just a few minutes later Sadiq put Nigeria in front after meeting a Stanley Amuzie curling cross with a header past Linde. Early on in the second half the Swedish goalkeeper was forced into multiple diving saves to prevent Nigeria from building on their lead. First, Nigerian captain John Obi Mikel sent a hard strike toward the goal. Then, minutes later, Linde got his fingertips to an Etebo shot that was heading for the net. Despite the small margin of victory, Nigeria dominated Sweden throughout the second half (the Africans had 10 shots on goal compared to their rival’s one) and had no problem keeping their advantage to claim all three points.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Estádio Olímpico “João Havelange” (Rio de Janeiro) DATE: 7-08-2016 (18:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 37.450 REFEREE: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR) GOALS: 1-0 (Correa 47’); 1-1 (Bendebka 64’); 2-1 (Calleri 70’) BOOKED: Correa (26’), Cuesta (38’), Cuesta (45+’ > RC) / Belkebla (38’), Haddouche (39’), Benkablia (45’), Abdellaoui (48’), Demmou (53’), Abdellaoui (67’ > RC), Benkhemassa (90+’) [Incidents: Cuesta (min. 45+) and Abdellaoui (min. 67) were both sent off.]
		Argentina - Algeria
		2-1 (0-0)
ARGENTINA Rulli Gómez, Giannetti, Cuesta (c), Soto Pavón (Espinoza 87’), Martínez, Ascacíbar, Lo Celso (Romero 73’) Correa (Simeone 83’), Calleri COACH: Julio Olarticoechea			ALGERIA Chaâl Benghit, Demmou (c), Abdellaoui, Ferhani Bendebka, Aït-Atmane (Benkhemassa 35’), Belkebla Benkablia (Darfalou 81’), Bounedjah, Haddouche (Meziane 55’) COACH: Pierre-André Schürmann
GAME SUMMARY Argentina defeated Algeria 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium in Rio to claim a key victory in Group D. After a few half-chances by the North Africans in the opening minutes of the match, the Albiceleste would have the first real opportunity in the 10th minute, when Atlético de Madrid’s attacker Ángel Correa quickly uncorked a shot from just outside the penalty area that went centimeters wide of the post. After struggling in their first match against Honduras, Algeria, for the most part, looked lively in the first half. The Desert Warriors attacked with vigor when any opportunity presented itself and it was clear that they had the ability to produce chances when they ventured forward. Correa would have his second decent strike on goal when he fired a blast on the half-hour mark that had to be parried aside by Algerian goalkeeper Farid Chaâl. Both teams would continue to apply pressure on each other for the remainder of the first half, but failed to create many quality scoring chances. Opportunities were few and far between, but Algeria did have one golden chance in the 43rd minute. Forward Baghdad Bounedjah ran onto a long ball played over the Argentina backline by midfielder Mohammed Benkhemassa, but his attempted lob was thwarted by Gero Rulli’s outstretched arm. In injury time of the first half, Argentina captain Víctor Cuesta, who was cautioned earlier on in the match, received his second yellow card and was subsequently sent off after fouling Bounedjah outside the penalty area. Right after the restart, the stalemate was no more. Forward Jonathan Calleri outjumped his opponent and directed a header towards the Algerian goal and into the penalty area. Correa reacted the quickest, ran onto the ball and calmly finished past Chaâl with his left foot to give Argentina a 1-0 lead. Algeria, who had been slightly the better team in the first half, found themselves in a hole immediately at the start of the second half against 10-man Argentina. However, after sustaining pressure on their rivals, the North Africans broke through in the 64th minute. From just outside the penalty area, midfielder Haris Belkebla slipped a nifty pass into the box to teammate Sofiane Bendebka, who then slotted the ball past Rulli to even the match up at 1-1. While Argentina’s lead didn’t last that long, the numerical disadvantage they had on the field ended as well. Algerian defender Ayoub Abdellaoui was sent off in the 67th minute after a second bookable offense for a high boot. Three minutes after Algeria was also reduced to ten men, Argentina would retake the lead in the game. Correa and Calleri linked up for a nice interchange at the edge of the penalty area which resulted in the latter attempting to dribble around Chaâl in order to finish. However, the Algerian goalkeeper made contact with the ball which then richocheted off Calleri and into the net for the 2-1. Throughout the remainder of the second half, Algeria kept after Argentina in search of a tying goal. The South Americans had quite a few opportunities on the counterattack and came close to icing the game in the 85th minute, when Cristian Pavón ripped a shot off the post after being played in on goal with the entire Algerian team caught up the field. In the final five minutes, the North Africans tried to muster the tying goal, but they ran out of time.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Estádio Nacional de Brasília “Mané Garrincha” (Brasília) DATE: 7-08-2016 (19:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 32.314 REFEREE: Ryuji Sato (JAP) GOALS: 1-0 (Skov 69’) BOOKED: Morris (68’) [Incidents: South African central defender Eric Mathoho was stretchered off in minute 80 due to an ankle injury. As his team had already used all three substitutions, the Bafana Bafana played the last stage of the game with only ten men.]
		Denmark - South Africa
		1-0 (0-0)
DENMARK Højbjerg Desler, Eddi Gomes, Gregor, Blåbjerg Børsting (Laursen 83’), Jønsson, Maxsø, Vibe (c) E. Larsen (Skov 61’), Brock-Madsen (Bruun Larsen 64’) COACH: Niels Frederiksen			SOUTH AFRICA Khune Mobara, Coetzee, Mathoho, Moerane (Masuku 46’) Modiba, Mekoa, Mngonyama (Ntshangase 77’), Dolly (c) Mothiba (Morris 61’), Motupa COACH: Owen da Gama
GAME SUMMARY Denmark defeated South Africa 1-0 at the Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasília to keep their qualification hopes alive. The first scoring chance of the match went to South Africa in the 8th minute. Gift Motupa received a cross inside the box and took a shot, but Denmark goalkeeper Jeppe Højbjerg made a diving save. Denmark and South Africa exchanged great scoring chances near the half-hour mark, but both teams came up empty. Motupa again sent a shot against the crossbar and Denmark’s captain Lasse Vibe had his shot saved by South Africa goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune. In the 40th minute, South Africa struck the crossbar for a second time, this time via captain Keagan Dolly. In the 55th minute, Dolly had another good chance at goal, but his shot from the top of the box went straight to Højbjerg, who made a routine save. Denmark took the lead in the 69th minute, when Jacob Bruun Larsen found fellow substitute Robert Skov in the box, and the latter’s shot found the back of the net. Despite some pressure from South Africa, Denmark was able to hold their lead for the remainder of the match for a key victory in Group A.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Arena da Amazônia (Manaus) DATE: 7-08-2016 (21:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 26.603 REFEREE: Sergej Karasjov (RUS) GOALS: 0-1 (Teo Gutiérrez 59’); 0-2 (Fujiharu [o.g.] 65’); 1-2 (Asano 67’); 2-2 (Nakajima 74’) BOOKED: Ideguchi (23’), Endo (31’), Muroya (39’), Fujiharu (53’) / Tesillo (23’), K. Balanta (76’)
		Japan - Colombia
		2-2 (0-0)
JAPAN Nakamura Muroya, Endo (c), Ueda, Fujiharu (Kamekawa 80’) Shiotani, Koroki, Ideguchi (Minamino 62’), Nakajima Asano, Yajima (Oshima 62’) COACH: Makoto Teguramori			COLOMBIA Bonilla D. Balanta, Aguilar (Arley Rodríguez 46’), Tesillo, Machado Barrios, K. Balanta (Lerma 77’), Pérez (Palacios 46’), Dorlan Pabón Teo Gutiérrez (c), M. A. Borja COACH: Carlos Restrepo
GAME SUMMARY Japan and Colombia drew 2-2 in a wild showdown in Manaus. The Blue Samurais had the first chance of the match in the 10th minute when right-back Sei Muroya whistled a cross into the box that got chested down to the feet of attacking midfielder Shinya Yajima, who drove a low, hard shot on frame that was stopped by Colombian goalkeeper Cristian Bonilla to keep the score at 0-0. Colombia would come close to breaking the deadlock in the 18th minute when forward Miguel Ángel Borja spun free of his defender and fired a missile from just outside the penalty area that Japan keeper Kosuke Nakamura had to parry away. Japan looked the more likely team to score for most of the first half. With more quality possession and better movements off the ball than their South American rivals, the Asian side looked destined to find the breakthrough at any moment. Colombia, on the other hand, didn’t generate any sustained spells of meaningful possession and only looked semi-dangerous on the few chances they had on the counterattack. After a first half that only saw a couple of legitimate scoring opportunities, the score was 0-0 at halftime. Japan didn’t waste time getting the action started in the second half. In the first minute, Takuma Asano intercepted a poor Colombian pass in the midfield, surged forward towards the penalty area, and blasted a rocket with his left foot that was tipped onto the crossbar by Bonilla. No more than a minute later, Asano had yet another chance as he broke free on the left side of the penalty area and laced a shot that, once again, Bonilla had to handle. However, completely against the run of play, Colombia would strike first in the 59th minute. After a neat give-and-go with substitute forward Arley Rodríguez at the top of the penalty area, Teo Gutiérrez first-timed a shot that took a deflection and went past Nakamura into the net for the 1-0 lead. A few minutes later, things went from bad to worse for Japan as a miscalculation from left-back Hiroki Fujiharu gifted Colombia a second goal. After Nakamura made an initial save on a left-footed Arley Rodríguez attempt on goal from the left side of the penalty area, Fujiharu got caught in between trying to clear the rebound and letting the ball run past his body. He chose neither and awkwardly redirect the ball back onto his own goal, despite the efforts from another Japanese defender to clear it. Japan would pull a goal back immediately in the 67th minute after some quick passing on the edge of the Colombian penalty area. Substitute forward Takumi Minamino slipped in Asano, who quickly turned his body and cracked a shot past Bonilla into the roof of the net. Getting that goal seemed to have put life back into Japan as they turned the heat back up on Colombia, creating numerous chances and attacking with real intent and purpose. The feisty and energetic Asian side would find the equalizer they deserved in the 74th minute on a brilliant Shoya Nakajima strike from long range that curled over Bonilla, hit off the crossbar, and bounced down over the line. For the remainder of the match, Japan would continue to have the majority of possession and the best chance at finding a third goal, but Colombia held on to secure a final showdown with Nigeria in search of qualification.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Estádio Nacional de Brasília “Mané Garrincha” (Brasília) DATE: 7-08-2016 (22:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 65.829 REFEREE: Ovidiu Haţegan (ROM) GOALS: - BOOKED: Thiago Maia (17’), Douglas Santos (69’), Rodrigo Caio (70’) / Mhawi (35’), Abdul-Amir (37’), Karim (59’), Hamid (76’), Tareq (83’)
		Brazil - Iraq
		0-0 (0-0)
BRAZIL Wéverton Zeca, Rodrigo Caio, Marquinhos, Douglas Santos (William 80’) Thiago Maia, Renato Augusto, Felipe Anderson (Luan 46’) Gabriel, Gabriel Jesus (Rafinha 55’), Neymar (c) COACH: Rogério Micale			IRAQ Hamid Nadhim, Mhawi, Ibrahim, Ismail Natiq, Adnan, Karim (Tareq 63’), Abdul-Amir (c) (Faez 79’), Attwan Abdul-Rahim (Ahmed 84’) COACH: Abdul-Ghani Shahad
GAME SUMMARY Brazil disappointed their fans again, who jeered their own team after a second consecutive 0-0 draw. Hard to explain how a team with the likes of Neymar, Gabriel Barbosa “Gabigol” and Gabriel Jesus up front is unable to score a single goal in two games. One of Brazil’s best chances of the match fell to midfielder Renato Augusto in second-half injury time, but his volley from close range sailed over the crossbar with the goalkeeper already beaten. The Canarinha also had a goal by Gabigol disallowed in the 28th minute because of offside, and Renato Augusto hit the crossbar with a shot just before halftime. The result leaves Brazil in need of a victory over Denmark in their last group game in order to advance to the knock-out rounds and avoid another huge embarrassment at home, two years after the 7-1 loss to Germany in the World Cup semifinals. The match kicked off with Iraq nervous and disorganized, a situation which the recent Manchester City signing Gabriel Jesus almost capitalized on. Following this early scare, the Iraqis found their feet and took the game to the Brazilians. With 12 minutes on the clock, Dhurgham Ismail launched a long throw-in into the box, where Mohannad Abdul-Rahim rose above the goalkeeper and glanced a header across goal, but his effort would only ricochet off the woodwork. Abdul-Ghani Shahad’s men were happy to sit behind the ball and allow their opponents possession, waiting for their chance on set-pieces and counterattacks. This created space for the Brazilians to have numerous strikes from range, although Mohammed Hamid remained mostly untroubled throughout the first half. On the 32nd minute, Brazil came close to an opener when a great run down the flank saw a teasing low ball fizz across the box, where Marquinhos was unable to convert. A few minutes later, Gabriel Jesus’ initial shot on goal was blocked by Ahmed Ibrahim and his follow-up attempt curled agonizingly close to the post. A final attack saw Renato Augusto thump his shot against the crossbar before the referee blew his whistle to conclude the first 45 minutes. As the second half kicked off, the game continued to become even more heated. Challenges were aplenty and frustration became clear, with the Brazilians desperately looking for a winner while the Iraqis proved too strong to roll over. On the hour mark, nobody was on the end of a dangerous cross by substitute Luan that drilled across goal. Hamid denied the Brazilians with some remarkable saves. As the clock approached the final ten minutes, the hosts became increasingly frustrated and the local fans infuriated at their lack of goals. The constant time-wasting tactics employed by the Iraqis meant an additional seven minutes after regulation, but a nervous Brazilian team was unable to break the deadlock, even when goalkeeper Hamid raced out of the box and Renato Augusto was presented with a volley in front of an open goal, which he somehow sent out.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Estádio Nacional de Brasília “Mané Garrincha” (Brasília) DATE: 10-08-2016 (13:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 16.029 REFEREE: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (SPA) GOALS: 0-1 (Lozano [p.] 75’); 1-1 (Martínez 90+’) BOOKED: Vega (23’), Correa (45+’), Ascacíbar (45+’), Rulli (45+’), Giannetti (72’) / Acosta (16’), Paz (27’), Pereira (53’), Lozano (85’) [Incidents: Acosta missed a penalty shot (min. 45+), saved by Rulli. Correa missed a penalty shot (min. 55).]
		Argentina - Honduras
		1-1 (0-0)
ARGENTINA Rulli (c) Gómez, Giannetti, Vega, Soto (Espinoza 81’) Pavón, Ascacíbar, Martínez, Lo Celso (Simeone 70’) Correa, Calleri COACH: Julio Olarticoechea			HONDURAS Luis López Ramírez (Álvarez 87’), Paz, Pereira, Vargas B. García, Acosta (c), Banegas (Espinal 62’), Quioto (Benavídez 81’) Lozano, Elis COACH: Jorge Luis Pinto
GAME SUMMARY One of the tournament favourites, Argentina, went out of the competition on goal difference after a 1-1 draw with Honduras at Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasília. Both teams ended the first half in a stalemate, courtesy of Honduras’ defensive resistance to Argentina’s continuous attacking movements. Following a nervy start from both ends, the Albiceleste started to inch up their way on the field and their first goal-scoring opportunity came in the 18th minute through Lautaro Giannetti, whose header went centimeters wide of the post. Throughout the first half, Honduras showed a cautious and defensive approach which irritated their opponents. Argentina were not talent-shy, but they lacked character to deliver the ultimate killer ball which could penetrate Honduras’ backline. Leandro Vega and Jonathan Calleri wasted a couple of glorious opportunities late in the first half. While the former failed to connect with the ball in front of an empty net, the São Paulo striker fired his shot wide over the bar from a near distance. Although the match looked one-sided, Honduras had other plans. First, “Choco” Lozano almost headed the ball home, but Gero Rulli parried his effort. In injury time of the first half, the Central American side was awarded a penalty when Rulli pulled down Alberth Elis. However, the Argentinian goalkeeper redeemed his foul as he saved Bryan Acosta’s effort from the penalty spot to keep his country’s hopes of qualification alive after 45 minutes. The second half saw a brighter Argentina, as they started to find acres of space between Honduras defenders. In fact, they managed to win a penalty in the 53rd minute, when Marcelo Pereira pulled down Cristian Pavón in the box. However, Ángel Correa sent his kick wide. From that moment on, all of a sudden, Honduras started to take control of the game and could have broken the deadlock if they had connected with their whipped crosses. Alexis Soto tried to reply for Argentina, but his shot went far over. The moment of the match arrived in the 72nd minute when Giannetti fouled Elis in the box and Lozano converted from the penalty spot to put the few Honduran fans in sheer delight, as they started to near a possible qualification over giants Argentina. That goal felt like a cold shower for Argentina, as they looked dismantled and started to lack composure in the game. Honduras managed to preserve their lead and almost doubled it, but instead it would be Argentina who equalized three minutes after regulation, when a Mauricio Martínez free kick was deflected by Honduras’ wall and went past Luis López. It was too little, too late for the double Olympic champions, who will fly home empty-handed.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Mineirão (Belo Horizonte) DATE: 10-08-2016 (13:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 13.787 REFEREE: Matt Conger (NZL) GOALS: 0-1 (Gonçalo Paciência [p.] 25’); 1-1 (Benkablia 30’) BOOKED: Methazem (24’), Bounedjah (24’), Benkhemassa (34’) / Ricardo Esgaio (18’), Chico Ramos (58’)
		Algeria - Portugal
		1-1 (1-1)
ALGERIA Methazem Benghit, Bendebka (c), Rebiaï, Ferhani Darfalou, Benkhemassa, Draoui Benkablia (Haddouche 84’), Bounedjah, Meziane COACH: Pierre-André Schürmann			PORTUGAL Bruno Varela Ricardo Esgaio (c) (F. Fonseca 46’), Edgar Ié, Tiago Ilori, P. Henrique Chico Ramos, Tiago Silva, Pité, Tomás (André Martins 71’) Gonçalo Paciência (Salvador Agra 61’), Mané COACH: Rui Jorge
GAME SUMMARY An outstanding solo effort by Mohammed Benkablia ultimately secured a point for Algeria in a 1-1 draw against Portugal at the Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto (a.k.a. Mineirão) in Belo Horizonte. The Fennec Foxes ended their participation in the 2016 Rio Olympics on a high following narrow defeats to Honduras and Argentina in their previous two matches. Portugal opened the scoring through Gonçalo Paciência in the 25th minute, the forward converting from the penalty spot after Oussama Methazem was adjudged to have bundled over an opponent in the area. Algeria hit back five minutes later through Benkablia, who showcased excellent close control inside the area before curling the ball into the back of the net. Goal-scoring chances were few and far between in the second half, with Tomás Podstawski going close in the 66th minute, but the Portugal midfielder was brilliantly denied by Methazem. With their place in the knock-out stages already secured, Portuguese coach Rui Jorge rang the changes with one eye on the next round, making all three substitutions with 20 minutes remaining. Abderrahmane Meziane had a golden chance to win it for Algeria in second-half stoppage time when the ball fell favorable for him inside the area from a corner kick, but the attacker could only blaze his shot over the crossbar from close range.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Mineirão (Belo Horizonte) DATE: 10-08-2016 (16:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 16.521 REFEREE: Fahad al-Mirdasi (KSA) GOALS: 1-0 (Gnabry 8’); 2-0 (Petersen 14’); 3-0 (Meyer 30’); 4-0 (Petersen 33’); 5-0 (Petersen 40’); 6-0 (Gnabry 45’); 7-0 (Meyer 49’); 8-0 (Meyer 52’); 9-0 (Petersen [p.] 63’); 10-0 (Petersen 70’) BOOKED: Tamanisau (57’), Singh (62’), Hughes (73’)
		Germany - Fiji
		10-0 (6-0)
GERMANY Horn Toljan (Max 46’), S. Bender, Süle, Klostermann (Bauer 46’) Brandt, L. Bender, Meyer (c), Christiansen (Prömel 67’), Gnabry Petersen COACH: Horst Hrubesch			FIJI Tamanisau Khem (Turagabeci 66’), Singh, Dreloa, P. Naidu Chand, Nakalevu (Baravilala 46’), Verevou (Nabenia 66’), Waranaivalu Krishna (c), Hughes COACH: Frank Farina
GAME SUMMARY Germany reached the quarterfinals after hammering Fiji 10-0 in a mammoth mismatch that was not the greatest advert for Olympic football and will raise again many voices questioning whether the king of sports should be an Olympic discipline after all, when even the under-23 regulations can do nothing to even the competition. It may have looked like Germany was callously running up the score on Fiji, but they did so with a specific reason. Because of that huge victory, Germany vaulted from third place in Group C to almost winning it ― but a late South Korea goal over Mexico in the other match saw the Germans finish second instead. It was quickly obvious that Germany’s intent was to score early and often, pushing high and hard from the first kick with the majority of their team. In-form Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry opened the scoring just eight minutes in when he blazed past Fiji right-back Anish Khem to the far post to hammer in a cross from Julian Brandt with ease. Just six minutes later Brandt had his shot saved by Fiji goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau, but Nils Petersen gathered the rebound and scored to double Germany’s lead. It wasn’t long before Fiji looked completely out of sorts and broken. Germany were regularly pushing seven or eight outfield players up into and around the box. Even pulling 10 men behind the ball, the Oceanians couldn’t keep Germany from passing into dangerous areas for runners to grab onto at will, and things quickly went from bad to worse. After the half-hour mark, Max Meyer and Petersen scored another pair of goals just four minutes apart from one another. Those four targets put Germany even with Mexico on goal difference in the group standings, but that wasn’t enough. Horst Hrubesch’ youngsters wanted to top their group, meaning they had to score five more goals to pass South Korea’s plus-8 differential ― and they made quick work of that task. It would be 6-0 before halftime, with a new goal from Petersen and Gnabry’s wall-beating free kick just before the half serving as the standout, a needle-threading shot that the Arsenal winger slotted into the narrow gap between the edge of the wall and the far post. Meyer would score twice right after halftime to give himself a hat-trick ― and to bring Germany level with South Korea on goal average. It took two penalties to get the ninth goal, but Petersen scored his fourth on that second try to get Germany what they needed from this match. He then added his fifth and Germany’s 10th goal a few minutes later for good measure. It was, in short, an utter domination. Fiji would manage to get forward here and there and cause some minor danger to Germany’s backline, but only because of counterattacks against what was often just one center-back and the goalkeeper, because everyone else was up trying to score. Even then, Fiji never truly threatened the German goal, and were too demoralized to do any more than they managed. Sadly, Germany’s work was undone through no fault of their own ― South Korea broke their deadlock with Mexico in the 77th minute, putting them two points clear of Germany. With Mexico a point behind Die Olympiamannschaft, Germany’s massive win against Fiji felt somewhat frivolous.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Estádio Nacional de Brasília “Mané Garrincha” (Brasília) DATE: 10-08-2016 (16:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 19.332 REFEREE: Clément Turpin (FRA) GOALS: 1-0 (Kwon Chang-hoon 77’) BOOKED: Lee Seul-chan (61’), Lee Chan-dong (69’), Koo Sung-yoon (83’), Hwang Hee-chan (90+’) / Lozano (72’), Salcedo (90’), Lozano (90+’ > RC) [Incidents: Lozano was sent off (min. 90+).]
		South Korea - Mexico
		1-0 (0-0)
SOUTH KOREA Koo Sung-yoon Sim Sang-min, Lee Seul-chan, Jang Hyun-soo (c), Son Heung-min Ryu S.W. (Suk H.J. 71’), Hwang H.C., Park Y.W., Jung S.H. Kwon C.H. (Kim M.T. 90+’), Lee C.M. (Lee C.D. 55’) COACH: Shin Tae-yong			MEXICO Talavera (c) Aguirre, Montes, Salcedo, Torres Nilo (Fierro 80’) Cisneros, Gutiérrez, Pérez, Poncho González (Lozano 51’) Torres, Bueno (Raúl López 69’) COACH: Raúl Gutiérrez
GAME SUMMARY Defending Olympic gold medalists Mexico bowed out of the competition after losing 1-0 to South Korea. With a lot on the line, both teams started off the match playing tentatively as they tried to feel each other out. At the end of the game, Mexico held a distinct advantage in both shots and possession over their rivals, but could not convert any of their chances, whereas the South Koreans made the most of one of their few approaches. El Tri may have been the better team for long periods, but they were blunt in attack, lacking ideas in midfield, and unable to produce in defense when it mattered most. When attacking midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon waltzed through the Mexican defense ― which provided very little by way of resistance ― and netted the crucial goal in the 77th minute, it was the Asians’ first shot on target. It was also the culmination of a well-prepared and executed plan to stifle Mexico and get the draw or win that South Korea needed to guarantee their place in the quarterfinals. The first half was a largely dull affair, with Mexico maintaining as much as 66% of possession but failing to create much with it. This was the story of the game. Marco Bueno had a shot on goal in the 11th minute, then Erick “Cubo” Torres put Erick Gutiérrez through in the 29th minute for a half chance. Mexico pressed with increased intensity after the break, with Carlos Cisneros hitting the post in the 62nd minute and shooting just over from a free kick minutes later. Despite not having a shot on goal for the first 75 minutes of the match, South Korea was the team to break the deadlock as Kwon Chang-hoon gave his side the lead with less than 15 minutes remaining. Mexico had multiple chances to score in the final minutes, but could not convert as the match ended 1-0 in favor of the Koreans. In stoppage time, Pachuca winger Hirving Lozano was given his second yellow card of the match and was sent off for shoving a South Korean player.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova (Salvador) DATE: 10-08-2016 (19:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 17.821 REFEREE: Malang Diédhiou (SEN) GOALS: 1-0 (Yajima 65’) BOOKED: Milošević (26’)
		Japan - Sweden
		1-0 (0-0)
JAPAN Nakamura Muroya, Shiotani, Ueda, Kamekawa Minamino (Yajima 57’), Endo (c), Oshima, Nakajima Koroki (Ideguchi 77’), Asano (Suzuki 61’) COACH: Makoto Teguramori			SWEDEN Linde Lundqvist, Milošević, Une Larsson, Konaté Khalili, Fransson (Tanković 46’), Tibbling, Quaison (Sema 72’) Ajdarević (c), Ishak (Berisha 83’) COACH: Håkan Ericson
GAME SUMMARY Despite their 1-0 victory over Sweden, Japan was eliminated in the Olympic tournament after Colombia’s 2-0 win over Nigeria in the other group game. In the opening 45 minutes, the Japanese controlled the match creating the majority of the scoring opportunities, while the Swedes struggled going forward producing just one shot. In the second half it was much of the same through the first 15 minutes, as Japan continued to test Sweden’s defense. In the 63rd minute, Andreas Linde had to make consecutive saves to keep the score tied. The Swedish goalkeeper first saved a header from Wataru Endo and then stopped the rebound attempt from Musashi Suzuki. However, a few minutes later Ryota Oshima, arguably the man of the match with his tireless box-to-box performance, penetrated the Swedish defense from the left before picking out Shinya Yajima, whose first touch at the far post beat goalkeeper Andreas Linde to give Japan a 1-0 lead. The Blue Samurais came close to doubling their advantage when Oshima again curled a ball to the area, where Tsukasa Shiotani rose highest to send a looping header past Linde but into the crossbar. The Swedes never looked up for it, and had it not been for Japan’s lack of a killer instinct they could have easily gone down by three or four goal. But, in the end, neither the performance nor the result mattered with Colombia comfortably dismissing Nigeria.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Arena Corinthians (São Paulo) DATE: 10-08-2016 (19:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 36.702 REFEREE: César Arturo Ramos (MEX) GOALS: 1-0 (Teo Gutiérrez 4’); 2-0 (Dorlan Pabón [p.] 63’) BOOKED: K. Balanta (70’) / Troost-Ekong (43’), Okechukwu (52’), Akpeyi (62’)
		Colombia - Nigeria
		2-0 (1-0)
COLOMBIA Bonilla Palacios, D. Balanta, Tesillo, C. Borja Roa, Barrios (Pérez 78’), K. Balanta (Lerma 72’) Teo Gutiérrez (c), Preciado, Dorlan Pabón (Machado 86’) COACH: Carlos Restrepo			NIGERIA Akpeyi Udo, Troost-Ekong, Sincere, Madu (Amuzie 80’) Okechukwu, Saliu (Ezekiel 70’), Mikel (c), Etebo Umar (Mohammed 70’), Sadiq COACH: Samson Siasia
GAME SUMMARY Colombia and Nigeria both advanced to the quarterfinals after the former’s 2-0 win. The South Americans got out to an early lead in the 4th minute when Dorlan Pabón’s fine forward ball from the left flank picked out Teo Gutiérrez at the top of the Nigeria penalty box, where the unmarked Sporting Lisbon striker applied a neat volleyed finish to beat goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi. The early goal gave Colombia the confidence to attack Nigeria’s backline and create more quality chances. In the 19th minute, Akpeyi denied Harold Preciado’s close-range header before Dorlan Pabón caused another scare for Nigeria after getting in behind the defence before shooting wide. The African side then created chances of their own before the break, with the best of Nigeria’s opportunities coming in the 28th minute, when Peter Etebo put Umar Sadiq’s low cross wide of the far post in the Colombia penalty box. The attacking midfielder then tested Cristian Bonilla with a well-hit free kick that was blocked away by the legs of the Colombian goalkeeper. Colombia’s determination to reach the knock-out stages was reflected in their willingness to extend their lead after halftime. Just after the hour mark, they were rewarded with a penalty kick after Akpeyi took down Preciado in the Nigeria penalty box. Dorlan Pabón stepped up to drive the spot kick home and double Colombia’s advantage. The Cafeteros could have had a third goal in the 73rd minute but Preciado was unable to find the target from close range after controlling Teo Gutiérrez’ pinpoint cross from the left. In the last minutes, Colombia held on to their lead to earn three points and qualification.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova (Salvador) DATE: 10-08-2016 (22:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 41.067 REFEREE: Alireza Faghani (IRN) GOALS: 0-1 (Gabriel 26’); 0-2 (Gabriel Jesus 40’); 0-3 (Luan 50’); 0-4 (Gabriel 80’) BOOKED: Maxsø (39’) / Gabriel Jesus (38’)
		Denmark - Brazil
		0-4 (0-2)
DENMARK Højbjerg Desler (K. Larsen 64’), Eddi Gomes, Gregor, Blåbjerg Børsting (Hebo 81’), Maxsø, Jønsson, Bruun Larsen Vibe (c), Brock-Madsen (Skov 46’) COACH: Niels Frederiksen			BRAZIL Wéverton Zeca (William 74’), Marquinhos (Luan Garcia 83’), R. Caio, D. Santos Walace, Luan, Renato Augusto (Rodrigo Dourado 79’) Gabriel, Gabriel Jesus, Neymar (c) COACH: Rogério Micale
GAME SUMMARY After struggling through their first two matches, Brazil found their form and finally lived up to expectations to defeat Denmark 4-0 and qualify for the quarterfinals as Group A winner. The convincing victory not only spared the Canarinha another embarrassing elimination at a major tournament, but helped them regain the support of the local fans, who had been disappointed by lacklustre performances and had loudly jeered the team in the games against South Africa and Iraq . Needing the victory to advance, Brazil attac ked from the start. In the 13th minute, Neymar sent in a free kick that found Rodrigo Caio, who had his shot blocked by Danish goalkeeper Jeppe Højbjerg. Then, after over 200 minutes of game play without a single goal, Brazil finally broke their jinx through Gabriel Barbosa “Gabigol”, who was at the other side of a Douglas Santos’ cross from the left side to give the Canarinha a 1-0 lead. Five minutes before the break, Gabriel Jesus met a pass by Luan near the goalline to double the Brazilian lead. At the start of the second half it was already 3-0 for the hosts after a nice sequence of passing. Neymar received the ball at the top of the box and chipped it over the defense to Douglas Santos, who sent in a cross to Luan for a tap-in goal. In the 70th minute there was a scare for Brazil as Neymar went down after twisting his ankle. He walked gingerly off the field, but was able to return and play the rest of the match. Brazil capped off their win with a goal in the 80th minute by Gabriel, who capitalized on a rebound.

GROUP STAGE
STADIUM: Arena Corinthians (São Paulo) DATE: 10-08-2016 (22:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 37.742 REFEREE: Roddy Alberto Zambrano (ECU) GOALS: 1-0 (Motupa 6’); 1-1 (Abdul-Amir 14’) BOOKED: Mvala (12’)
		South Africa - Iraq
		1-1 (1-1)
SOUTH AFRICA Khune Mobara, Coetzee, Malepe, Mekoa Dolly (c) (Morris 83’), Mvala, Ntshangase, Masuku (Kutumela 59’) Fikizolo (Modiba 61’), Motupa COACH: Owen da Gama			IRAQ Hamid Ismail, Adnan (Ahmed 62’), Mhawi, Ibrahim Natiq, Abdul-Amir (c), Hisni (Karim 62’), Kamel (Tareq 84’), Attwan Abdul-Rahim COACH: Abdul-Ghani Shahad
GAME SUMMARY South Africa and Iraq were both eliminated after a 1-1 draw, as a result of Brazil’s victory in the other group game. The South Africans made several changes to their starting line-up for the must-win encounter, with coach Owen da Gama drafting in Tercious Malepe for the injured Eric Mathoho, together with Phumlani Ntshangase and stand-by midfielder Andile Fikizolo, while Mothobi Mvala returned from his one-match suspension. Menzi Masuku also started after he was on the bench in the second match. The move seemed to pay dividends as South Africa opened the scoring in the sixth minute when Fikizolo played in a beautiful ball that forward Gift Motupa slotted into the back of the net. The goal gave the Bafana Bafana hope of progressing to the next round, but it didn’t take long for Iraq to respond. In the 14th minute, captain Saad Abdul-Amir headed in a corner to equalize. After exchanging goals, Iraq dominated the run of play throughout the rest of the first half and into the second half. In need of a victory that might send them through to the knock-out stages, Iraq continued to put pressure on South Africa in the latter stages of the match but, despite hitting the woodwork three times and forcing goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune to a series of heroic saves, they could not find the winner and the match ended 1-1.

1/4 FINAL
STADIUM: Estádio Nacional de Brasília “Mané Garrincha” (Brasília) DATE: 13-08-2016 (13:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 55.412 REFEREE: Walter Alexander López (GUA) GOALS: 0-1 (Gnabry 45+’); 0-2 (Ginter 57’); 0-3 (Selke 75’); 0-4 (Max 87’) BOOKED: S. Bender (47’), Meyer (50’)
		Portugal - Germany
		0-4 (0-1)
PORTUGAL Bruno Varela Fernando Fonseca, Edgar Ié, Tobias Figueiredo, Ricardo Esgaio (c) Tomás, Mané, André Martins (Gonçalo Paciência 58’), Sérgio Oliveira (Chico Ramos 35’ (Tiago Silva 61’)), Bruno Fernandes Salvador Agra COACH: Rui Jorge			GERMANY Horn Toljan, Ginter, Süle, Klostermann Brandt, L. Bender (Prömel 72’), Meyer (c), S. Bender, Gnabry (Max 82’) Selke (Petersen 78’) COACH: Horst Hrubesch
GAME SUMMARY Germany rolled over Portugal 4-0 to qualify for the semifinals of the Olympic tournament. The Portuguese, forced to start the match without their leading goalscorer Gonçalo Paciência due to an injury, had the first shot on target in the first minute, but Mané’s close-range shot was saved by German goalkeeper Timo Horn. In the 5th minute, Germany created their first of many scoring chances in the first half as Serge Gnabry took a shot from outside the box that forced Portuguese goalkeeper Bruno Varela into a diving save. It was Gnabry again less than two minutes later as he was left wide open on the left side of the box. He tried to get around the ball to take a curling shot, but mishit the attempt. German forward Davie Selke joined the attack in the 14th minute as he received a cutback cross just outside of the small area, but could not convert. In the 35th minute, Selke was able to get a shot on goal which forced Bruno Varela into a lunging save. In stoppage time of the first half Germany finally found a breakthrough. Max Meyer sent a pass across the box to Gnabry, who scored from a tight angle to make it 1-0. With this goal, Gnabry became the only player to score in all his team’s matches. In the second half Germany was on the front foot trying to increase their lead, and did so in the 57th minute, when Matthias Ginter won a header in the box to make it 2-0 for Die Olympiamannschaft. Once Portugal went down two goals, Rui Jorge had no choice but to bring Gonçalo Paciência into the match to boost Portugal’s offense, but his inclusion did not help as Germany was the next team to score. In the 75th minute, Selke slotted the ball into the side netting to make it 3-0. Philipp Max capped off Germany’s win with a fourth goal in the 87th minute.

1/4 FINAL
STADIUM: Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova (Salvador) DATE: 13-08-2016 (16:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.307 REFEREE: Sandro Meira Ricci (BRA) GOALS: 1-0 (Mikel 16’); 2-0 (Umar 59’) BOOKED: Mohammed (31’), Sincere (44’), Mikel (69’), Okechukwu (80’)
		Nigeria - Denmark
		2-0 (1-0)
NIGERIA Daniel Shehu, Troost-Ekong, Sincere, Amuzie Umar, Okechukwu (Udo 85’), Mikel (c), Sadiq (Ajayi 85’), Mohammed Ezekiel (Saliu 90’) COACH: Samson Siasia			DENMARK Højbjerg Desler (K. Larsen 71’), Eddi Gomes, Gregor, Blåbjerg Børsting (Skov 54’), Maxsø, Jønsson, Nielsen Vibe (c), Bruun Larsen (E. Larsen 71’) COACH: Niels Frederiksen
GAME SUMMARY Nigeria secured a spot in the semifinal round of the 2016 Olympic football tournament after putting two goals past Denmark. The Super Eagles got off to a flying start in the opening minute of a thrilling first half when a blocked cross from the right wing found the left foot of Usman Mohammed, who challenged the Danish goalkeeper Jeppe Højbjerg. In the tenth minute, Casper Nielsen nearly responded with the goal of the tournament. Seven meters outside the penalty area, the Danish midfielder received a lofted pass, chested the ball directly down to his right foot and fired a volley off the crossbar. Then, on the stroke of 15 minutes, Nigeria’s star and captain John Obi Mikel put the Super Eagles ahead. Imoh Ezekiel, dribbling the ball down the left wing, outpaced his Danish defender and curled a low cross in front of goal, where Mikel’s left foot guided the ball into the side netting. Less than two minutes later Eziekiel nearly doubled the Nigerian lead himself, demonstrating tremendous skill to again beat his mark and chip the ball just over the crossbar. Later in the half, Nigeria’s goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel was called upon to make a pair of spectacular saves less than a minute apart, both against Danish striker Jacob Bruun Larsen. First, the Borussia Dortmund attacker found the end of a lofted cross and headed it towards the top corner, but Daniel stretched full-vertical to just poke the shot over the bar. After the ensuing corner kick, Bruun Larsen received a through-pass in the box but again could not direct the ball past Daniel. In first half stoppage time, Denmark seemed destined to equalize, but Daniel used every inch of his tall frame to punch an Eddi Gomes header over the bar and secure the one-goal Nigerian lead as both teams walked to the dressing-rooms. The second half started in much tamer fashion than the first, but picked up in the 58th minute when Højbjerg was called upon to save a powerful strike from Stanley Amuzie, earning Nigeria a corner kick. Mikel took the corner, sending an in-swinging cross beautifully in front of the left-side near post, where Aminu Umar capitalized off poor marking from the Danes to head the ball into the back of the net, doubling the Nigerian lead. The Super Eagles defended their way through the remaining 30 minutes and held the clean sheet to set up a semifinal encounter with Germany. The only tangible setback the Nigerians encountered in the match came in the 80th minute, when midfielder Okechukwu Azubuike earned his second yellow card of the tournament, which will rule him out of the semifinal match.

1/4 FINAL
STADIUM: Mineirão (Belo Horizonte) DATE: 13-08-2016 (19:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 36.704 REFEREE: Gehad Grisha (EGY) GOALS: 0-1 (Elis 59’) BOOKED: Lee Seul-chan (45+’), Park Yong-woo (72’), Sim Sang-min (89’) / Palacios (37’), Álvarez (53’), Luis López (70’)
		South Korea - Honduras
		0-1 (0-0)
SOUTH KOREA Koo Sung-yoon Lee Seul-chan, Jung Seung-hyun, Jang Hyun-soo (c), Sim Sang-min Park Y.W.,Ryu S.W.(Choi K.B. 87’),Kwon C.H.,Moon C.J.(Suk H.J. 68’) Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan COACH: Shin Tae-yong			HONDURAS Luis López Palacios, Pereira, Vargas Álvarez, Banegas (Espinal 64’), Acosta (c) (Paz 79’), Brayan García Elis (Benavídez 90+’), Quioto, Lozano COACH: Jorge Luis Pinto
GAME SUMMARY Despite losing the possession battle and creating less chances, Honduras came out on top of South Korea 1-0 and qualified for the semifinals. The Taeguk Warriors controlled the run of play in the first half, but could not capitalize on any of their chances. One of Korea’s best opportunities came in the 39th minute when Son Heung-min had his free kick attempt knocked away by Honduras goalkeeper Luis López. At the end of the half, South Korea had produced seven shots on goal compared to Honduras’ one. In the 47th minute, Son Heung-min had another great chance, but Luis López came up with another big save as he dove to keep the ball out of the goal. Despite South Korea’s control throughout the match, it was Honduras who opened the scoring on the stroke of the hour. On a quick counterattack, Romell Quioto found Alberth Elis, who slotted his shot in the back of the net to give the Central Americans a 1-0 lead. Ten minutes later, Marcelo Pereira nearly doubled Honduras’ lead as he had an open header in the box, but his attempt went wide of the goal. In the 71st minute, Kwon Chang-hoon had a great chance to equalize, but Luis López produced a fantastic save to maintain his team’s lead. Honduras hang on to their narrow advantage for the remainder of the match to earn a spot in the semifinals.

1/4 FINAL
STADIUM: Arena Corinthians (São Paulo) DATE: 13-08-2016 (22:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 41.560 REFEREE: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR) GOALS: 1-0 (Neymar 12’); 2-0 (Luan 83’) BOOKED: Neymar (40’) / Palacios (10’), Lerma (39’), Barrios (45’), Preciado (45+’), M. A. Borja (88’), Teo Gutiérrez (90’)
		Brazil - Colombia
		2-0 (1-0)
BRAZIL Wéverton Zeca, Marquinhos, Rodrigo Caio, Douglas Santos Luan, Walace, Renato Augusto Gabriel (Thiago Maia 67’), Gabriel Jesus (Rafinha 89’), Neymar (c) COACH: Rogério Micale			COLOMBIA Bonilla Palacios, D. Balanta, Tesillo, C. Borja Roa (Arley Rodríguez 80’), Barrios (Pérez 46’), Lerma, Dorlan Pabón Teo Gutiérrez (c), Preciado (M. A. Borja 46’) COACH: Carlos Restrepo
GAME SUMMARY Brazil defeated Colombia 2-0 to advance to the semifinals and get one step closer to their dream of Olympic gold. Captain Neymar opened the scoring (and his personal tally in the tournament) in the 12th minute off a long range free kick. In the 25th minute, Colombia had their best chance to equalize as the ball feel to Helibelton Palacios at the top of the box, but he sent his shot over the goal. The two teams played a very physical first half with five yellow cards, four of which went to Colombia. Both teams delivered hard challenges that created a very tense atmosphere at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo. In the 65th minute, Neymar sent a free kick to Rodrigo Caio, who headed the ball towards goal, but it was saved by Colombian goalkeeper Cristian Bonilla. Then, with less than ten minutes left in the match, Luan doubled Brazil’s lead with a dipping shot from distance. The hosts were able to hold their lead for the remainder of the match and secure a semifinal clash with Honduras.

1/2 FINAL
STADIUM: Maracanã (Rio de Janeiro) DATE: 17-08-2016 (13:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 52.457 REFEREE: Ovidiu Haţegan (ROM) GOALS: 1-0 (Neymar 1’); 2-0 (Gabriel Jesus 26’); 3-0 (Gabriel Jesus 35’); 4-0 (Marquinhos 51’); 5-0 (Luan 79’); 6-0 (Neymar [p.] 90+’) BOOKED: Rodrigo Caio (36’) / Acosta (21’), Vargas (23’), Paz (59’), Palacios (62’), Espinal (73’) [Incidents: Neymar scored the fastest goal in the history of the Olympic football tournament, only 14 seconds after kick-off.]
		Brazil - Honduras
		6-0 (3-0)
BRAZIL Wéverton Zeca, Marquinhos, Rodrigo Caio (Luan Garcia 57’), Douglas Santos Walace, Renato Augusto (Rafinha 76’), Neymar (c) Luan, Gabriel Jesus (Felipe Anderson 68’), Gabriel COACH: Rogério Micale			HONDURAS Luis López Paz, Palacios, Vargas (Salas 46’) Pereira, Espinal, Acosta (c) (Banegas 72’), Brayan García Elis, Quioto, Lozano (Benavídez 46’) COACH: Jorge Luis Pinto
GAME SUMMARY In the first semifinal of the Olympic football tournament, Brazil thrashed Honduras 6-0 to become one step closer to the much-anticipated gold medal. The Canarinha got off to a dream start as Neymar put his team in front only 14 seconds into the match ― the fastest goal in the history of the competition. Right after kick-off, Neymar knocked the ball away from a Honduras defender and held the charge of goalkeeper Luis López to deflect the ball into the back of the net. While scoring the goal, the Barcelona attacker fell awkwardly on his chest and had to be stretchered off the field, although he returned just a few minutes later. In the 26th minute, Gabriel Jesus doubled Brazil’s lead after beating Luis López to a through ball and flicking it into the back of the net. Nine minutes later, Gabriel Jesus made it 3-0 after receiving a pass from Neymar and blasting the ball home. Early in the second half, Brazil center-back Marquinhos found himself wide open in the box off a corner kick and slotted the ball in to add to his team’s lead. With the final already in sight, Brazil showed not only their talent and quality up front, but their defensive solidity (they are the only team not to concede a single goal in all the tournament). In the 79th minute, Luan made it 5-0 for the hosts after receiving a cross from Felipe Anderson. In stoppage time, Luan drew a foul in the box to give Brazil a penalty kick. Neymar stepped up to take the shot and round it up with a 6-0 victory.

1/2 FINAL
STADIUM: Arena Corinthians (São Paulo) DATE: 17-08-2016 (16:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 35.562 REFEREE: Néstor Pitana (ARG) GOALS: 0-1 (Klostermann 9’); 0-2 (Petersen 89’) BOOKED: Udo (19’) / Gnabry (4’), L. Bender (77’), Ginter (80’)
		Nigeria - Germany
		0-2 (0-1)
NIGERIA Daniel Shehu, Troost-Ekong, Sincere, Amuzie Ezekiel, Mohammed, Mikel (c), Udo (Saliu 71’), Umar Sadiq (Ajayi 64’) COACH: Samson Siasia			GERMANY Horn Toljan, Ginter, Süle, Klostermann Brandt, L. Bender, Meyer (c) (Petersen 85’), S. Bender (Prömel 76’) Selke, Gnabry (Max 77’) COACH: Horst Hrubesch
GAME SUMMARY Germany beat Nigeria 2-0 to qualify for the final, where they will meet Brazil in a replay of the famous 2014 World Cup semifinal, which the Brazilians will be more than eager to avenge to erase the memories of the 1-7 defeat at the hands of the Mannschaft. Germany had the better run of play at the start and found a goal early on to take the lead. In the 9th minute, Max Meyer sent in a cross that beat Nigerian goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel and found Lukas Klostermann for a tap-in goal to put Germany up 1-0. Nigeria nearly equalized four minutes later as German goalkeeper Timo Horn mishit the ball, giving Umar Sadiq a great look on goal, but Horn came up with a save. In the 20th minute, Daniel made a huge stop on a Lars Bender shot from point-blank range to keep his side’s deficit at one. It looked like Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel was going to equalize in the 31st minute as he made two defenders miss in the box, but Matthias Ginter made a vital block to his shot. In the second half, there was little separating Germany and Nigeria. The tournament’s top scorer, Serge Gnabry, had several chances to increase his tally, but it all came up to a dramatic finale. In the 89th minute, with Nigeria overcommitted to the attack, Davie Selke mishit the ball to the far post, where Nils Petersen deflected it into the back of the net to secure the German victory and tie teammate Gnabry as topscorer with six goals each (courtesy of Petersen’s five goals to Fiji).

PLACES 3-4
STADIUM: Mineirão (Belo Horizonte) DATE: 20-08-2016 (13:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 9.091 REFEREE: Sandro Meira Ricci (BRA) GOALS: 0-1 (Sadiq 34’); 0-2 (Umar 49’); 0-3 (Sadiq 56’); 1-3 (Lozano 71’); 2-3 (Pereira 86’) BOOKED: Lozano (87’) / Okechukwu (17’), Sincere (76’)
		Honduras - Nigeria
		2-3 (0-1)
HONDURAS Luis López Álvarez, Pereira, Vargas, Paz, Brayan García (Lozano 46’) Acosta (c) (Espinal 61’), Banegas (Benavídez 61’), Elis, Quioto Salas COACH: Jorge Luis Pinto			NIGERIA Daniel Shehu, Troost-Ekong, Sincere, Amuzie Ezekiel (Madu 80’), Okechukwu, Mikel (c), Mohammed (Erimuya 90+’) Umar, Sadiq (Saliu 89’) COACH: Samson Siasia
GAME SUMMARY Nigeria defeated Honduras 3-2 in the consolation final and completed their Olympic metal collection (after gold in 1996 and silver in 2008) with a bronze medal. Only seven minutes into the game, the Super Eagles nearly opened the scoring after some great passing in the box. The ball came to Aminu Umar on the left side and he fired a shot that hit off both posts but somehow refused to enter the net. Honduras had their first scoring chance a few minutes later as Alberth Elis sent a header toward goal forcing Nigeria goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel into a save. Then, in the 34th minute, Nigeria’s captain John Obi Mikel got on the ball in the box and sent in a cross that beat Honduras goalkeeper Luis López and found teammate Umar Sadiq for a tap-in to make it 1-0. It didn’t take long for the Super Eagles to add to their lead in the second half. In the 49th minute, Mikel took a shot that Luis López could only knock away. The rebound then fell to Umar, who scored Nigeria’s second goal. Seven minutes later, Sadiq got by a Honduras defender and sent a low shot into the back of the net to make it 3-0 for the African team. With just under 20 minutes remaining in the match, “Choco” Lozano won a header in the box to pull a goal back for Honduras. The Central Americans made it 3-2 in the 86th minute as defender Marcelo Pereira skied above the African defenders to score off a header. Despite Honduras’ comeback effort, Nigeria was able to hold on and claim bronze, whereas for Honduras it was another missed chance to win a medal in any event in ten participations in the Olympic Games.

FINAL
STADIUM: Maracanã (Rio de Janeiro) DATE: 20-08-2016 (17:30 h) ATTENDANCE: 63.707 REFEREE: Alireza Faghani (IRN) GOALS: 1-0 (Neymar 26’); 1-1 (Meyer 59’) BOOKED: Zeca (30’), Gabriel (44’) / Selke (49’), Prömel (78’), S. Bender (81’), Süle (89’) PK: 0-1 (Ginter); 1-1 (Renato Augusto) / 1-2 (Gnabry); 2-2 (Marquinhos) / 2-3 (Brandt); 3-3 (Rafinha) / 3-4 (Süle); 4-4 (Luan) / 4-4 (Petersen [saved]); 5-4 (Neymar)
		Brazil - Germany
		1-1 (1-0;1-1) (pk: 5-4)
BRAZIL Wéverton Zeca, Marquinhos, Rodrigo Caio, Douglas Santos Walace, Renato Augusto, Neymar (c) Gabriel Jesus (Rafinha 95’), Gabriel (Felipe Anderson 70’), Luan COACH: Rogério Micale			GERMANY Horn Toljan, Ginter, Süle, Klostermann Brandt, L. Bender (Prömel 67’), Meyer (c), S. Bender, Gnabry Selke (Petersen 76’) COACH: Horst Hrubesch
GAME SUMMARY Brazil finally won the much-awaited gold medal at the Olympic football tournament (the only major competition still evading the Canarinha), although it took them 120 minutes and a penalty shootout against one of the tournament’s sensations, Germany. After a rather disappointing start to the tournament, Neymar went from villain to hero by scoring the decisive penalty kick to fulfill a nation’s dream, a mission in which other Brazilian star players had failed before him: Romário (1988), Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos and Bebeto (1996), Ronaldinho (2008), Marcelo and Neymar himself (2012). The Germans had the first scoring chance of the match in the 11th minute as Julian Brandt hit a curling shot that deflected off the crossbar ― it was the first of three times that Germany hit the woodwork in the first half. Following Brandt’s shot, Brazil put consistent pressure on Germany’s defense, drawing foul after foul. In the 26th minute, Neymar beat goalkeeper Timo Horn with a pinpoint free kick that hit off the bottom of the crossbar and bounced in. Germany came back a few minutes later and nearly equalized twice off free kicks. First, Serge Gnabry whipped in a cross that was flicked off the crossbar and out of play. Then, it was Sven Bender who got on the end of a free kick, but he also sent his header off the woodwork. Germany found a well-deserved equalizer in the 59th minute when Max Meyer slotted his first-time shot into the back of the net. It was the first goal that Brazil has allowed at the 2016 Olympics. Each side had their chances in the remainder of regulation, but neither could find a breakthrough as the match went into extra-time. Brazil was the dominant team in the first half of the additional period, but it was Germany who had the best opportunity on a counterattack when Brandt got on the end of a looping pass but could not put his ambitious volley on goal. Felipe Anderson had the lone scoring chance of the second half of extra-time, but he could not capitalize and the teams went into a penalty shootout. Nothing could separate Brazil and Germany in their first four kicks, as all shots were converted. Then, Wéverton saved Nils Petersen’s kick to give Neymar a chance to win his team the gold medal, which he did after burying his penalty shot.

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