Honduras vs. Nigeria: 2016 Olympic Men's Soccer Bronze-Medal Form Guide and More
There weren't a lot of highlights in the semifinals for either Honduras or Nigeria, but each team will need to bounce back if it wants to take home a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Honduras was one of the biggest surprises to even reach the quarterfinals and then kept it going with a trip to the semifinals. However, they were thoroughly embarrassed by Brazil with a 6-0 loss to the host country.
Nigeria had a closer score in the semifinals, but its 2-0 loss to Germany was almost as one-sided, with the African team creating few chances.
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Still, fans should expect a much closer battle as the two semifinal losers battle to end their Olympic run on a high note.
Men's Soccer Bronze-Medal Match
When: Saturday, Aug. 20
Where: Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Time: 12 p.m. ET
TV: NBC Sports
Live Stream: NBC Olympics
| Date | Opponent | Result | Date | Opponent | Result |
| Aug. 17 | Brazil | L, 0-6 | Aug. 17 | Germany | L, 0-2 |
| Aug. 13 | South Korea | W, 1-0 | Aug. 13 | Denmark | W, 2-0 |
| Aug. 10 | Argentina | D, 1-1 | Aug. 10 | Colombia | L, 0-2 |
| Aug. 7 | Portugal | L, 1-2 | Aug. 7 | Sweden | W, 1-0 |
| Aug. 4 | Algeria | W, 3-2 | Aug. 4 | Japan | W, 5-4 |
Honduras might be disappointed from its loss against Brazil, but it was a long shot to win anyway. Facing a team peaking at the right time on all parts of the field in its home stadium with thousands of screaming fans would be a challenge for anyone.
With that said, the squad isn't going to give up and quit after one big loss. There is simply too much at stake when it comes to this team.
"We are going to keep bringing joy to the Honduran people, who deserve it in one way or another," head coach Jorge Luis Pinto said before the semifinal, per El Heraldo (via Tom Marshall of ESPN FC). "Football is everything [in Honduras], and we are doing everything possible."
The fans should be proud of their players regardless of what happens in the next match. Honduras escaped the group stage for the first time at the Olympics in 2012 and made its first appearance in the semifinals this year. Adding a medal to this miracle run would be almost unbelievable.
On the other side, Nigeria has had a lot more success at the Olympic Games, including a gold medal in 1996 and a silver in 2008. However, the current team was still a bit of a surprise to make it this far due to a tough draw and plenty of question marks throughout the roster.
Nigeria won a wild 5-4 match over Japan that featured four goals from Oghenekaro Etebo. Three days later, defense was key in the 1-0 victory over Sweden.
Mikel John Obi has been a big reason for the side's progress as the unquestioned leader of this squad. The 29-year-old Chelsea star has played more of an attacking role with his country, but it has led to plenty of success on both a team and individual level.
Abiola Kazeem of Soccer Nation gave plenty of credit to the midfielder during the semifinals:
With Mikel controlling the ball in the middle and the defense showcasing strong discipline ever since the second match of the tournament, this will not be an easy team to score against. Although it's tough to expect Nigeria to score six goals like Brazil did, Honduras might have just as hard a time getting onto the scoresheet.
Still, these are two teams that have proved people wrong throughout the past two weeks. With a medal on the line, there is no reason to doubt either one of them having the ability to put together one more great match.
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