At the end of a pulsating Olympics 2020 football competition, Brazil are the gold medal winners, and deservedly so, after they saw off a final challenge from a talented Spain side.
We’ve seen some of the best U23 stars in world football and a smattering of big name players who were added as over-age members of the Olympic team. The Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga were all represented and fans back home enjoyed watching their heroes in action, particularly those who showed up for Brazil and Spain. But there were more than a handful of players who would rather just put this competition behind them and move back to domestic matters.
It’s probably a little harsh to call them ‘villains’ but I’m going to shine a light on a couple who would be well advised to avoid the post-tournament scrutiny.
Brazil’s magnificent three
But first let’s big up, for one more time, the players who can leave Tokyo with a huge smile on their faces. The Selecao had a wake-up call in their semi-final clash with Mexico as El Tri took them to extra time and penalties, but they made it through to the final and then showed all their quality to overcome Spain in the gold medal showcase.
Everton striker Richarlison missed a penalty in the final but that didn’t stop him from finishing as the competition’s top scorer with five goals, a big factor in the Selecao’s successful defence of their 2016 title. He ripped opposition defences apart in the group stage, scoring a hat-trick in Brazil’s opener against Germany and then he added two more against Saudi Arabia to send shivers down opponents’ spines.
Richarlison finished one goal ahead of Mexican midfielder Sebastian Cordova, French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac and Korean front man Uijo Hwang to win the accolade of the most lethal hitman in Tokyo.
Young Hertha Berlin star Matheus Cunha scored a great goal in the final and he’s clearly a talent worth keeping tabs on, having scored seven goals for the Bundesliga side last term, but the biggest shout out must go to the old man of the Brazil team.
Barcelona legend Dani Alves, who now plies his trade with Sao Paolo, played every minute of the tournament and starred in the final. Not bad for a 38-year-old!
The pre-tournament Olympics 2020 odds here at SBOTOP backed Brazil to lift the gold medal but they had an excellent opponent in Spain, which featured six players from La Roja’s Euro 2020 squad, including exciting 18-year-old Barcelona star Pedri and Real Sociedad’s top striker Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored in the final.
The quality running through these two teams shows just how seriously Brazil and Spain took the Tokyo Olympics.
An Olympics to forget for these two…
There are a few players who would rather leave the Olympics 2020 highlights in the cupboard after having endured a rather forgettable tournament, but we’re going to remind a couple of them what went wrong in their big games!
Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly had mixed fortunes when the Ivory Coast had a chance to make the semi-finals against La Roja. The 27-year-old Bailly is one of the biggest names in the tournament and he hoped to be writing the headlines for the right reasons when he gave the Ivory Coast a tenth-minute lead. But one of La Roja’s Euro 2020 stars, Dani Olmo, levelled before the break.
Former Leeds United striker Max Gradel thought he’d won it for the Ivory Coast but then, deep into stoppage time, it all went pear-shaped. Bailly’s previously well-marshalled defence was all over the place as substitute Mir tapped home an equaliser with his first touch, and then the Red Devils star handled in the 98th minute and Oyarzabal fired home the penalty to make it 3-2 before the Ivorians capitulated to a 5-2 defeat.
Mexico’s promising 22-year-old defender Johan Vazquez had a similarly forgettable competition as El Tri just fell short, and he was at least partly culpable in his country’s poor moments. He’d been sent off in a 2-1 group stage defeat to Japan, but then he seemed to be redeeming himself as the competition progressed.
He put in a commanding centre-back performance to hold Brazil’s attack at bay for 120 minutes before the penalty shootout drama was set to unfold. Mexico’s chances dwindled when Eduardo Aguirre saw his shot saved, and they disappeared without a trace when Vasquez blasted his effort against the post and the Selecao ran out 4-1 winners.
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