August 3 – A flawless penalty shoot-out was what defending champions Brazil needed in the end to reach the gold medal match of Tokyo 2020 after a grueling and goalless 120 minutes against 2012 nemesis Mexico.
At the end of regular time, all Richarlison could do was grimace. He had harried and hurried the Mexicans and his late header ricocheted of the wood work, but Brazil had endured a difficult match against a well-organised opponent, set up to counterattack.
The semi-final, a repeat of the 2012 final when Mexico prevailed at Wembley, was always going to be a tight and tense affair. The Mexicans boasted the highest scoring attack with 14 goals, Brazil had Richarlison, the tournament’s top scorer with five goals. But in a game of few chances, lots of bookings and plenty of midfield play the Everton striker and his compatriots could not find the breakthrough, even if they controlled much of the possession.
In the first half, Brazil had a penalty chalked off after a VAR review. Midfielder Douglas Luiz got his body in front of Jose Esquivel, but the Brazilian flopped to the turf under minimal contact. The Brazilians needed improvement in the second half, but substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Reinier did little to improve the action, with the Mexicans neutralising Brazil’s midfield without showing much ambition themselves.
In extra-time, Daniel Alves blasted a free kick high and wide, a low point in a semi-final where a safety-first approach prevailed. However, Brazil’s captain stepped up to convert the first spot kick in the penalty shoot-out and Brazil never looked back to win 4-1.
On Saturday, Andre Jardine’s team will play their third consecutive Olympic final after they won the gold medal on home soil against Germany in 2016, but lost to Mexico four years earlier in London. The South Americans will face the winner of the other semi-final between Spain and Japan.
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