When it comes to attacking talent, the home nation definitely holds the advantage in this contest. They have in their ranks one of the best female soccer players in the world today in Marta. The pressure definitely is on Marta to give Brazil its first ever Olympic gold in the Women’s Soccer event. The five-time World Player of the year has scored a whopping 104 goals in 105 international appearances for Brazil. Marta, who is Brazil’s top international goal-scorer, has nabbed two goals in this tournament thus far.
Australia, on the other hand, will rely on the brilliance of captain Lisa De Vanna to get them through in this quarterfinal. The 31-year-old striker finally opened her goal-scoring account in this tournament with a well-taken opener in their last match against Zimbabwe. That opened the floodgates for the Matildas who thrashed Zimbabwe, 6-1, in that must-win clash. De Vanna’s the only player in this Australia squad who has Olympic experience and her input will be crucial for the Matildas as they prepare for their knockout showdown with Brazil. The Melbourne City striker has scored 40 goals in 116 international caps for Australia.
Brazil’s soccer teams may be known more for their attacking flair but it is their defense that’s taking center stage in these Olympic Games. Brazil have conceded the fewest number of goals in this Olympic tournament, allowing just a single goal in their opening three matches. Their defensive brilliance can be attributed as well to the way they have dominated possession in the group stage. Even in their 0-0 stalemate against South Africa, Brazil controlled 70 percent of the possession in that match.
That’s a worrying concern for the Matildas who have surrendered five goals in this tournament thus far. Expected to play a crucial role for the embattled Aussies tonight is Elise Kellond-Knight. The deep lying holding player will be the one tasked to mark Brazilian legend Marta. She has already proven before that she can handle that gargantuan task, stifling Marta in their World Cup clash last year. Australia stunned Brazil in that contest, 1-0.
Writer’s Prediction: Brazil (-238) edges past Australia, 2-1.
