Germany will play Brazil in the mens soccer final of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, as they beat Nigeria 2-0 in Sao Paulo on Wednesday.Germany were in front at half-time after Lukas Klostermann added the finishing touches to an incisive passing move, although Nigeria squandered a host of chances. After the interval, Germany improved and after dominating the half, scored a late second throughNils Petersen's sharp finish.After this win, Germany will play the home side in Saturdays final; Brazil hammered Honduras 6-0 earlier in the day.The game started in tentative fashion, as is to be expected given what was at stake, but it was Germany who found their rhythm the quicker of the two sides. It didnt take long until their neat play manifested into a lead.After some sweeping passing, Max Meyer found space in the penalty area, rolling the ball into Klostermann, who had a simple finish at the back post. While there was much to admire about the attacking play, football journalist Colin Udoh compared the defensive differences:The goal seemed to spark theSuper Eagles sparked into life, though, and they had the better of things for the rest of the half. An error from goalkeeper Timo Horn went unpunished, while German defenders blocked shots fromJohn Obi Mikel and Aminu Umar after some aesthetic pieces of play.At the interval, Germany would have been pleased to have preserved their one-goal advantage. The teams official Twitter feed paid tribute to their efforts at the back, with Nigeria turning the screw:In the early stages of the second half, Germany looked like a side that had been given a stiff talking to by head coach Horst Hrubesch, as they were much the brighter. Serge Gnabry had a stinging strike saved, while Davie Selke couldnt finish after rounding the Super Eagles goalkeeper.Nigeria were struggling to get upfield as the hour mark approached, with Gnabry again going close with a powerful shot. Their best chances were coming from set pieces, with Mikel bending a free-kick wide from around 25 yards.Meanwhile, sports journalist Cristian Nyari praised the efforts of this youthful crop of German players:As the match moved into the latter stages, the game became a scrappy affair, sapping the momentum of a Super Eagles side doing their utmost to gather some attacking momentum. German players were happy to concede fouls and take bookings to ensure there'd be no late scares.Indeed, in the end they were eventually able to add to their lead in the 89th minute, with Nigeria pressing forward in search of an equaliser. And it was Petersen who was alert in the area, turningSelke's wayward shot into the back of the net, making Germany's spot in the last two absolutely certain.A final against Brazil in Brazil will trigger memories of the last time these two sides met at a major tournament; in the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup, Germany hammered the Selecao 7-1 in Belo Horizonte. While this is a much-changed cast of players, therell be pressure on the Brazil players to banish that memory.That should work in Germanys favour, and they have been excellent in all aspects of their play so far at this tournament. Nigeria were always going to pose tricky opposition, and while they did have to weather a storm early on, Hrubeschs side always looked to have an extra gear to move into when needed.
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