Germany booked their spot in the semi-finals of the 2016 Summer Olympics men's football tournament in Rio de Janeiro, easily beating Portugal 4-0 on Saturday.Serge Gnabry gave his team the lead just before half-time with a low strike, and Matthias Ginter doubled Germany's advantage from a corner after the break. Davie Selke added a third goal after 75 minutes beforePhilipp Max put the final score on the board just before the full-time whistle.As shared by the team's official Twitter account, Germany started with Gnabry and Julian Brandt in attack:Portugal kept Tiago Ilori on the bench, while Andre Martins started.The match almost began with a bang for the Portuguese, who came close to the opening goal inside the first minute. Carlos Mane found some space to fire off a shot inside the box, but luckily for the Germans, the ball was fired within reach of goalkeeper Timo Horn.Selke should have given Die Mannschaft the lead on 13 minutes after a defensive blunder left him wide open inside the box, but somehow, the youngster sliced his attempt and put it wide. On the other side of the pitch, Tomas Podstawski blasted wide, as the match had a nice tempo to it and chances came fast.Germany had the advantage, however, with Brandt and Selke combining well. The former assisted the latter for another golden chance after 20 minutes, but once again, the RB Leipzig man couldn't keep his effort on target.Brandt also tried his luck with a smart curling shot, but goalkeeper Bruno Varela was equal to it. Sport Witness' Jan Hagen thought Germany's size was the key:Portugal aimed for the counter-attack, but Mane kept wandering offside and wasting chances by doing so. The Germans were far more patient with their build-up play, but Meyer and Selke couldn't find a gap through the Portuguese defence with shots from range.And when Selke thought he had found the breakthrough, the flag went up for offside, with replays confirming the starlet had started his run a little too early.Gnabry, Selke and Meyer kept peppering the Portuguese goal with shots, drawing several good saves from Varela. Per Hagen, the goalkeeper has already enjoyed a fine tournament:The match was halted just before half-time after Lars Bender picked up a knock, but there was still enough time for Gnabry to open the score.Brandt picked out the surging Arsenal man with a sharp pass and Gnabry timed his run to perfection, giving Varela no chance with a low shot. Per football writer Cristian Nyari, Gnabry has been in incredible form during the Olympics:The goal brought an end to an entertaining first half, with Die Mannschaft up by a goal.Portugal came out with more intensity to start the second half, and BrunoFernandes almost put Horn to work with a hard shot. The 21-year-old popped up again inside the box minutes later, placing a header on the wrong side of the post.Germany remained dangerous, however, and Gnabry drew a fine save from Varela with a low shot after 56 minutes. The resulting corner from Brandt found Ginter, who powered a header into the top corner to double his team's advantage.Per Nyari, the goal was more than deserved:Portugal now surged forward with numbers in search of two goals. Goncalo Paciencia was introduced to turn the tide, but he struggled with the timing of his runs.Paciencia fired wide after some good work from Portuguese standout Podstawski, and Fernandes fared little better, as time started to run out.And things got even worse, as Die Mannschaft added a third goal through Selke, with Brandt once again the provider. Per DW Sports, Germany put together a superb show:Nils Petersen nearly made it 4-0 with a hard shot that just missed the target, and Max found more success just before the final whistle, applying the finishing touch to a masterful performance.Germany will play the winner of the match between Nigeria and Denmark in the semi-finals on Wednesday, August 17.Post-Match ReactionTo follow...
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