Brazil’s failure at the 2012 London Olympics

Under the shadow of the Mexican National Team, Brazil had to settle for the silver medal during London 2012. Multiple Brazilian media classified as “failure” the defeat in the final and second place on the podium.

That generation of footballers was full of talent and figures who already stood out in the elite of world football. The age limit squad led by Mario Menezes featured names like Neymar Jr., Hulk, Alexandre Pato and Marcelo. At that time, the Scratch du Oro still could not achieve the Olympic gold, which seemed an obsession for the Brazilian fans, for which the pressure was present throughout the entire concentration of the team.

Brazil swept through the group stage of the Olympic tournament finishing with 9 points and in first place alone after their three games played. In his first match he won the victory facing Egypt that had in its ranks with Mohammed Salah. For his match against Belarus, he won 3-1. Ultimately, they beat New Zealand to seal their place in the quarterfinals. They finished the first round with nine goals scored, only three goals conceded and as the team that had shown the best football at that time.

In the quarterfinals the Brazilian team played a tough match against Honduras. The CONCACAF team stood up to the favorite and even took the lead on the scoreboard twice during the game. However, the difference in the teams was what determined the score of 3-2 in favor of the canarinha. The goals came from Neymar and the young scorer Leandro Damiao.

South Korea could not with the power of Brazil in the semifinals and allowed the 3-0 win that would put the Brazilians in their third Olympic final in their history. Until that moment, the five-time world champion had not been able to get the gold medal. Leandro Damiao was present again with two goals and his great participation in the tournament would lead him to take the golden boot as the top scorer of the tournament.

For the final, the South Americans came out as wide favorites to face Mexico. The game would be played at the legendary Wembley Stadium and the setting could not be more perfect. History seemed to be already written for Brazil to hang the gold medal and leave all the ghosts behind. But nevertheless, an inspired Oribe Peralta knocked down all Brazilian expectations and with two goals he sentenced the match in favor of the Mexicans. Not even the late Hulk score could give life to those of the green love her, who watched the celebrations of the Mexican team destroyed. For the third time they had to settle for silver during an Olympic tournament.

Some other prominent cases of that selection were:

Rafael: The right-back had much promise during his early years with Manchester United, but his irregularity and low level led him to play for Olympique Lyonnais in France. Since 2015 he is one of the most prominent defenders in Ligue 1.

Thiago Silva: the central defender has been a figure in clubs such as Milan in Italy, Chelsea in England and Paris Saint Germain in the French league. With the Parisians he had his best moments that led him to appear on several occasions as one of the candidates for player and defender of the year between 2014 and 2017. With the Brazilian senior team he played the 2014 and 2018 World Cups.

Alex Sandro: Currently the Brazilian is considered one of the best full-back in Serie A. His high level has kept him among the elite of European football playing with Juventus. For 2019 he played the Copa América with his team.

Leandro Damiao: the London 2012 striker failed to establish his footballing level and never shone in any major club and his last participation representing his country was in the 2013 Confederations Cup. To this day he is playing games in the Japanese league with Kawasaki Frontale.

Oscar: During his time at Chelsea, his talent led him to appear in the Premier League and world football. His great technique and ball handling had him classified as one of the future stars of Brazil. However, as of 2016 his career continued in the Shanghai SIPG of the Chinese Super League, where he gradually came out of the spotlight.

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