10-man South Africa frustrate Brazil

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 5, (Agencies): Brazil and superstar Neymar were booed off as their quest for a maiden Olympic football gold medal began with a 0-0 draw against 10-man South Africa on Thursday. Barcelona ace Neymar is by far the biggest name in the competition and has been tasked with restoring pride to Brazilian football after a catastrophic 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany on home soil at the 2014 World Cup. However, he endured a frustrating afternoon on a sandy and slow surface in Brasilia as South Africa held out despite Mothobi Mvala’s red card half an hour from time prompting the crowd to jeer the hosts off on the final whistle. “For us the draw is a defeat,” said Neymar.

“The team went on the field to win, we know our responsibility, we know it isn’t going to be easy. “It is not just a case of turning up and winning the gold medal.” Group A is now in a four-way tie on one point after Iraq and Denmark also played out a scoreless draw. In contrast to the swaths of empty stands across the six cities being used to host the men’s and women’s football tournaments on the opening two days, the hosts commanded a near-capacity 70,000 crowd.

However, the Brazilian side boasting Neymar, Manchester City’s new £27 million ($35.4 million) signing Gabriel Jesus and Marquinhos of Paris Saint-Germain did not provide the expected victory procession. South Africa’s Lebo Mothiba had a host of chances to cause an almighty upset, but failed to make a ragged Brazilian defence pay for early nerves. “The first game is always the most difficult due to the anxiety of the competition starting,” added Neymar. “I think the anxiety hurt us a bit.” Neymar proudly sported the captain’s armband and had Brazil’s best two efforts of the first half with strikes from outside the box that forced South African ‘keeper Itumeleng Khune into stunning saves.

And Khune said he would tell his grandchildren of the day he stopped the Barcelona star. “I am so happy to make my appearance, make my mark,” said Khune. “Definitely my grandchildren will watch the DVD of this match.” South Africa dominated the early stages of the second half with Mothiba and captain Keagan Dolly coming close. But their chances appeared to have gone when defender Mvala was sent off for two quickfire yellow cards. Brazil ramped up the pressure. Jesus somehow turned the ball onto the post with the goal gaping, whilst a dipping drive from Neymar landed on the roof of the net. However, South Africa resisted to add problems on the field for the hosts to a Games build-up already marred by fears surrounding the Zika virus and Brazil’s political turmoil.

Portugal’s stunning summer after winning Euro 2016 could get even more golden as they saw off Argentina 2-0 to the delight of the Brazilian crowd in Rio. Both sides are looking to the future with Lionel Messi having announced his international retirement with Argentina after three final losses and Portuguese hero Cristiano Ronaldo now 31. Gonzalo Paciencia’s low drive put Portugal ahead before a horrible error from Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli allowed Pite’s long-range effort to sneak between his legs to secure the three points six minutes from time. Honduras beat Algeria 3-2 in the other Group D game.

Germany played out a entertaining 2-2 draw with 2012 gold medallists Mexico under a torrential downpour in Salvador. Three goals in 10 minutes in the second half put Mexico 2-1 ahead as Oribe Peralta and Rodolfo Pizarro struck either side of Arsenal’s Serge Gnabry’s reply for Germany. However, the only World Cup winner on show at the Olympics Matthias Ginter, who flew 20,000km from Borussia Dortmund’s pre-season tour in China to Brazil, earned Germany a point. South Korea smashed Fiji 8-0 in the other match in Group C with Ryu Seung- Woo scoring a hat-trick.

Nigeria arrived in the Amazonian city of Manaus just hours before a thrilling 5-4 win over Japan as the original plane intended to take them from their training base in Atlanta on Wednesday was deemed “too small” for the squad and staff. The delay didn’t seem to affect the 1996 gold medallists as four goals from Oghenekaro Etebo edged a memorable nine-goal thriller. Sweden and Colombia drew 2-2 earlier in Manaus in Group B. South Korean archer Kim Woo-Jin grabbed the first world record of the Rio Olympics on Friday — before the Games had even officially begun. The opening ceremony later Friday promises to be a party, but the world number one and a quadruple world champion was already celebrating — but only a little bit — after scoring a world record 700 for 72 arrows in the men’s individual ranking round at the Sambodromo.

Kim, 24, went just one point better than the previous record, set by compatriot Im Dong-Hyun in London four years ago. “I practised more than everyone else and I gave my best for the entire round,” he said. “Tomorrow there is a more important match. In terms of celebrating today, nothing — I want to focus on tomorrow’s match. “I want to focus on the Games now but later, maybe, I’ll get to enjoy Brazil.” Kim beat off the American Brady Ellison (690 points), who won silver in London, and David Pasqualucci of Italy (685 pts). The world’s biggest reseller of Olympics tickets, US-based CoSport, frayed the nerves of some visiting Games fans who queued for hours in Rio this week to retrieve their tickets. CoSport, which is authorized Games ticket reseller for residents of the United States, the UK, Australia and several other countries, required many customers to show up at a local ticket collection center in the host city to claim tickets bought earlier from the firm in their home countries. On Thursday, more than 100 frustrated fans were kept for up to five hours in queues, several customers said. The lines on Wednesday had also lasted hours, others said. Tom Shorkey, 68, from Pennsylvania, said he had arrived in Rio early Thursday and went straight to the CoSport site to claim his tickets. He was funneled through various lines and still hadn’t been able to retrieve them after four hours. “It’s ridiculous,” Shorkey said. Brazil has been criticised for not testing its athletes in the month leading up to Friday’s start of the Rio Games.

The reasons given for halting tests were “unacceptable”, World Anti-Doping Agency deputy director Rob Koehler told The Times newspaper of London. The Brazilians said tests were not possible because WADA suspended its Rio de Janeiro laboratory. “We sent a letter to the minister of sport and the executive director of the Brazilian national anti-doping agency, pressing our concerns and demanding to know why testing had been stopped,” Koehler told The Times. “The response was not satisfactory – the explanation that it had come about due to the changing of the guard in the ministry and the agency (the head of the domestic anti-doping agency Marcus Aurelius Klein was sacked on July 1 by the new sports minister) was not acceptable to us. “It was unacceptable that it stopped. That was not a good move – the fact no testing was happening was a concern.” Professor Luis Horta, Portugal’s former sporting drugs czar, who resigned as an anti-doping advisor to the Brazilians, also made tough criticism. “In June, the ministry was causing problems with doping control officers,” he told The Times. “We had to ask them to authorise the travel and the ministry wanted to know our mission orders and which doping control was taking place on which athlete, which is not appropriate. A $3 billion subway expansion built as one of the main Olympic legacy projects for Rio de Janeiro was overbilled by 25 percent, a report said Thursday.

The financially battered government also ended up paying twice as much of what was agreed to in a partnership with private companies, according to a state auditor’s document cited in O Globo newspaper. The discrepancies further cast a shadow over the first Olympics in South America.

Protesters have taken to the streets to express anger over hosting the event in a country where public workers aren’t getting paid on time. They are upset Brazil spent 39.1 billion reals ($12 billion), including public and private money, on building venues and infrastructure for the Olympics while the country weathers its worst recession since 1930.

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