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DPA
Tokyo
Brazil remained on course for back-to-back gold medals in men’s Olympic football on Wednesday while Germany met another disaster in their favourite sport by crashing out.
Brazil’s Everton striker Richarlison scored a late brace for a 3-1 victory over Saudi Arabia that saw the Rio 2016 winners into the quarter-finals as Group D winners with seven points. Richarlison now has a leading five goals overall at the Games.
Brazil are joined in the last eight by Ivory Coast whose 1-1 draw with the 2016 silver medallists Germany was enough for them finish second. Germany needed to win to stay alive but Eduard Loewen’s goal after an own goal from Benjamin Henrichs saw them eliminated.
It was a second big setback for the nation that also went out in the last 16 at Euro 2020 last month.
Brazil next meet Egypt who beat Australia 2-0 to finish second in Group C with four points, ahead of Argentina on goal difference after the South Americans played 1-1 against group winners Spain who are now up against the Ivorians.
Hosts Japan meanwhile thrashed 10-man France 4-0 to become the only team to win all three group games and finish atop Group A ahead of 2012 gold medallists Mexico who prevailed 3-0 against South Africa in a game both sides ended with 10 men.
In the quarters, Mexico face South Korea who topped Group B on six points with an emphatic 6-0 against Honduras. Hwang Ui Jo scored a hat-trick, including two of three successful penalties.
New Zealand drew 0-0 with Romania which was enough to beat the eastern Europeans on goal difference for second place after they tied on four points each and set up a date with Japan on Saturday.
Germany coach proud of team after exit, but misses Olympic flair
Stefan Kuntz was upset with the special conditions after Germany’s group stage elimination in the Olympic football tournament on Wednesday but he would not criticise his depleted squad at the Tokyo Games.
A 1-1 drew with Ivory Coast was not good enough for the team to make the knock-out stages and added to German football woes a month after the senior team’s last 16 elimination at Euro 2020.
Kuntz was not able to repeat the recent under-21 Euro title with the Olympic team that consisted mainly of under-23 players and comprised only 18 men because many clubs would not release players.
It was also upsetting because Germany had won silver at the last Games 2016 in Rio, losing the final against Neymar’s Brazil on penalties.
This time around they lost 4-2 against Brazil before a 3-2 over Saudi Arabia revived their hopes. But the win needed against Ivory Coast would not happen after an own goal from Benjamin Henrichs and Eduard Loewen’s equalizer.
“I am proud in the aftermath of the 18 players who committed to the Olympics,” Kuntz said, praising their “mentality, attitude and courage.” Maximilian Arnold said: “There is huge disappointment. We never really got into the tournament.”
While Kuntz backed his players he was not so kind with the referees and with the overall conditions at the Games played under strict coronavirus regulations because they denied any Olympic spirit.
Insisting that this was his personal view, Kuntz fumed: “We were barracked, locked up, not allowed to go out on the streets. We were only allowed to open a balcony door after a long debate. I have to say: I would have liked to have had more Olympic flair.
“The people we got to know were very friendly. Apart from that, there was nothing at all about the Olympic feeling, except during the two visits to the Olympic Village.
“That has nothing to do with the fact that we are footballers or footballers would have liked to have had special treatment.”
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29/07/2021
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