South Korea vs. Brazil: Uneasy Win Good Sign for Brazilians' Gold Medal Chances

Brazil's 3-0 win over South Korea may look good on the scoresheet, but it wasn't always pretty on the pitch. Believe it or not, that's a good sign for its chances at a gold medal. 

Mexico, Brazil's opponent in the men's soccer final, is incredibly talented, but much like every other under-23 squad, it doesn't compare to the Brazilians. 

Neymar is, without a doubt, the best player in this tournament. Leandro Damiao has racked up six goals in four matches, leading the tournament. His club teammate, Oscar, is the engine in the midfield that makes this squad go. Thiago Silva is a world-class defender.

And those are just the starters.

Coming off the bench against South Korea were FC Porto's prized forward, Hulk and AC Milan's Alexandre Pato. That's just not fair. 

The talent is clearly there. That's obvious. But in the world of soccer, a higher talent level doesn't always equal a win. You also have to be able to play like a team and maximize that talent.

This is where Brazil's win against South Korea comes into play.

For the first 20 minutes, the Brazilians were incapable of playing together. The South Koreans, on the other hand, were making them pay, playing like a complete team and controlling over 60 percent of the possession. 

Once the Brazilians got the wake-up call, they started working together, especially around the midfield, stringing passes together and holding onto possession in order to rack up goals. 

The most important thing to take away from that win is that Brazil was still able to survive whilst completely playing down to its opponent. Even at its worst, this inconsistent Selecao team can beat some of the best in the world.

When you think about it, Brazil hasn't played up to its potential during these Olympic Games, but it has still scored three goals in every match. Yikes, that is an incredibly scary thought.

Mexico isn't South Korea, and if Brazil comes out lethargic once again, things might go differently, but if the Mexicans are going to grab gold on Friday they will have to be at their best while Brazil is at its absolute worst. 

Good luck.

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