Brazil vs. Colombia: Score and Reaction from 2016 Olympic Men's Soccer

The Brazil men's national soccer team is just one win away from competing for its first-ever Olympic gold medal after defeating CONMEBOL rivals Colombia 2-0 in the quarterfinals Saturday night.Given that the two squads are big South American rivals away from the Olympics, it was a given that this game was going to be physical, especially on such a large stage.The two teams met in the quarterfinals at the 2014 World Cup, too, where Brazil won 2-1. In the process, though, Olympic team captain Neymar suffered a tournament-ending injury, something that might have been in the back of his mind Saturday.Colombia's chippy play set up Brazil's first goal after a foul gave the hosts a free kick from 35 yards out.Up stepped Neymar, who scored his first goal ever at the Olympics in grand fashion in the 12th minute.His attempt was low, bending away from the goalie toward his right-hand post, and couldn't have been placed more perfectly.While Neymar's strike was beautiful, Howler Magazine was quick to point out that Colombia's defense wasn't:It didn't mean much to Mark Purdy of the Bay Area News Group, as he was watching Neymar assume the role of a superhero:Neymar almost turned into the villain in the 40th minute after Colombia didn't give Brazil the ball after an injury stoppage. Charging from the other side of the field, he went through the back of Andres Roa, almost coaxing a red card from the official and sparking a brawl.Cooler heads prevailed, asNeymar was shown only a yellow card, and the teams went into the locker rooms at the half to calm down.While Colombia, trailing 1-0, was expected to be the more aggressive team in the second half, Brazil dominated early, attempting six shots in the first 20 minutes.It forced Colombian keeper Cristian Bonilla into plenty of action, as he saw Brazil attempt 13 shots, though only four of them were on target.But in the 83rd minute, Luan put the match away with a brilliant 25-yard strike that looped over Bonilla and into the back of the net.Waiting for Brazil in the semifinals is Honduras, a side that gave the hosts plenty of trouble in the quarterfinals at the 2012 London Games, though Brazil came away with a hard-fought 3-2 win.But despite facing the pressure of winning its first Olympic gold medal, Brazil has to like its chances to win it all in front of its home fans in 2016. Stats courtesy of Rio2016.com.
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