Olympic Soccer 2016: TV Schedule, Live Stream and Men's Quarterfinal Times
The knockout stage of men's soccer at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro begins on Saturday with four quarterfinal matches, highlighted by a South American clash between host nation Brazil and Colombia.
Brazil struggled to scoreless draws in the first two matches of the group stage only to secure passage to the next round with a 4-0 trouncing of Denmark.
The rapid improvement from the poor start to the tournament should have Brazil fans feeling confident about their national team's chances on Saturday, but there can be no reverting to previous bad form against a talented Colombia side.
Here's the TV schedule for the quarterfinal slate. Live-streaming for each match can be found at NBCOlympics.com.
| 12 p.m. | Portugal vs. Germany | NBC Sports Network*, Telemundo, NBC Soccer Channel |
| 3 p.m. | Nigeria vs. Denmark | NBC Sports Network*, NBC Soccer Channel |
| 6 p.m. | South Korea vs. Honduras | CNBC*, NBC Universo, NBC Soccer Channel |
| 9 p.m. | Brazil vs. Colombia | NBC Sports Network*, Telemundo, NBC Universo*, NBC Soccer Channel |
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While Brazil-Colombia will likely serve as an entertaining nightcap, there could be even more action in the day's first contest between Portugal and Germany.
Germany got quite the confidence boost by annihilating poor Fiji 10-0 on Wednesday. Serge Gnabry scored a first-half brace, upping his total to five goals at these 2016 Summer Games. Nils Petersen went supernova, scoring five goals in the contest to help bury Fiji.
Even against tougher competition, Germany has shown plenty of attacking verve in Brazil. Gnabry's play has been especially potent, and certainly has his club team, Arsenal, on notice.
FC Bayern Munich media manager Cristian Nyari has had high praise for Gnabry's efforts in Brazil:
Portugal will certainly have its collective hands full on Saturday, desperately trying to contain a confident German attack.
Denmark will need a quick turnaround in form after losing badly to Brazil on Wednesday. Nigeria has impressed so far at these Olympics, even if the Dream Team fell into a deep slumber in a 2-0 loss to Colombia on Wednesday.
Nigeria had already secured passage to the next round, so a letdown wasn't entirely unexpected, but it's nevertheless a concerning development with a strong European squad as the next opponent.
Also concerning is the talk of Nigeria boycotting the game due to a lack of payment, although top sports officials insist a strike will not take place Saturday.
"This is speculation," said Nigeria Sports and Youth minister Solomon Dalung, per CNN.com's Stephanie Busari.
"I have not received any report of any strike from the team," Dalung continued. "There is no indication that they are going on strike."
Nigeria has already made headlines for off-the-field issues, arriving late for its first game against Japan due to issues with the size of the team plane out of Atlanta.
If you're looking for a minnow to root for at these Games, look no further than South Korea vs. Honduras. The winner of this match will almost certainly be an underdog in the semifinals, as neither country is known as a soccer powerhouse.
South Korea appears to be the more potent side, managing a 3-3 tie with Germany and then beating out Mexico 1-0 on Wednesday to stay atop Group C.
Brazil is in the nightcap, hoping to capitalize on its strong effort against Denmark in the closing game of the group stage. Nineteen-year-old Gabriel Barbosa was the main scoring conduit for Brazil in that contest, notching a brace with a goal on either side of halftime.
The four goals Brazil pinged past Denmark were its first four goals of the Olympics, and it was all done without Neymar finding the back of the net. Despite suffering an ankle sprain, Neymar is expected to suit up against Colombia, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).
The talismanic forward hasn't scored yet at these Olympics, but if Brazil manages to continue winning in Rio, he will undoubtedly find himself as the centerpiece of a crucial attacking move or two.
