 Brazil consoles itself with bronze
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-23 10:36
Jo scored two goals and Diego added a third to give Brazil a 3-0 win over Belgium and the men's football bronze yesterday. Diego opened the scoring in the 27th minute past Belgium goalkeeper Logan Bailly. Jo, filling in for the red-carded Thiago Neves, scored the second just before halftime, then slotted between Bailly's legs to add the third in stoppage time. The South American country picked up its second bronze medal, 12 years after their third-place finish at the 1996 Atlanta Games. "We got a medal for Brazil in the Olympics, and we are very happy about it," Brazil coach Dunga said. But it is not the medal a talented team came to China to win. The Brazilians had their heart set on gold, only to be denied in the semifinals by rival Argentina. Worse still, it disgraced itself by having two players sent off in the 3-0 loss, earning the ire of the Brazilians, including its football legend Pele. Belgium, which was looking for its first football medal since winning gold at the 1920 Antwerp Games, was no match for the South Americans. Said Belgium coach Jean Francois De Sart: "Today we played a good match. We had a lot of chances against Brazil. "If you were to compare the value of the players of Brazil and Belgium, you have a big difference, but on the field today you didn't see this big difference." AP (China Daily 08/23/2008 page16) |
