Brazil were around EVEN odds to win their very first Olympic gold medal in soccer on home soil, and now we’re seeing why they were installed as such huge favorites ahead of the tournament.
After a slow start, the Brazilians have been simply irresistible in their last three games. Their offense, which was held goalless against South Africa and Iraq, has finally clicked into gear with 12 goals. Half of those came in their 6-0 thrashing of surprise semifinalist Honduras.
Captain Neymar bookended their incredible semifinal performance with goals in the first and last minute. Gabriel Jesus bagged a brace, while Luan has now scored in three consecutive matches.
Brazil’s offense likely won’t see over 50 percent of possession against Germany, but it doesn’t really need too much of the ball in order to be effective. Their tremendous speed up front makes them incredibly dangerous on the counter-attack.
And when they do manage to string some passes together in Germany’s half, Neymar is always a threat to produce a moment of magic which can unlock the German defense.
Meanwhile, the Brazilians’ backline has been simply sensational. They have yet to allow a single goal in this entire tournament, a span of over 450 minutes.
The last time a German national team faced Brazil in Brazil, the end result didn’t go too well for the hosts. Obviously, this German side isn’t quite as talented as the one which humiliated the Brazilians 7-1 en route to winning the 2014 World Cup, but it’s still very good.
The Germans are coming off two dominating performances in their two knockout matches. They pounded Portugal 4-0 in the quarterfinals, controlling 56 percent of possession and launching 22 shots (11 on target). They then followed that up with another assured performance in their 2-0 semifinal win over Nigeria, where they once again dominated possession (59 percent).
Germany is perhaps the only team in the tournament with the tools to handle the dangerous Brazilian attack. The Germans are obviously excellent in possession, and will do their best to keep the ball away from Brazil as much as possible.
And with twins Lars and Sven Bender, they have a terrific midfield shield which can hang with Brazil’s elusive attacking midfielders and snuff out dangerous scoring chances. Those two have been a major reason why Germany has given up just two shots on target in their last two games (one per game).
They’re attack isn’t half-bad, either. They’ve scored 21 goals in the tournament, and have netted at least two goals in each of their five games. Nils Peterson and Serge Gnabry (six goals) are the two co-leading scorers in the tournament, and will lead a German offense which will easily be the toughest Brazil have faced in the tournament.
Writer’s Prediction
Brazil (+104) finally claims that elusive gold by beating Germany, 2-1.
