After All the Gloom, Brazil Can Fulfill Olympic Dream and Gain World Cup Revenge

From Neymar's goal to open the scoring after just 15 seconds, to the late penalty notched by the captain in the dying moments, Brazil played with swagger and verve throughout their comprehensive Olympic semi-final victory over Honduras.

However, they will have to move up a gear against their gold-medal opponents, as the team look to make up for one of the blackest chapters in their history. 

The date July 8, 2014, is seared into fans' minds. It was on that day, at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, that dreams of lifting the World Cup on home soil were crushed in the cruelest way possible. 

Missing Neymar through injury after the forward suffered a damaged vertebra in the quarter-final against Colombia, and the suspended Thiago Silva, Luiz Felipe Scolari's men were battered 7-1 by a remorseless Germany.

Five of those goals came within a devastating 20-minute spell in the first half, in which it appeared the entire Brazilian defence had given up on the game as they made mistake after elementary mistake. 

Two goals from Toni Kroos, two more from Andre Schurrle, Thomas Muller's opener and one each for Miroslav Klose and Sami Khedira sealed Brazil's fate. Now once again the two football giants will cross paths on the hunt for glory—but this time, there is no way Neymar will be missing out on the action. 

The inspirational forward, however, must have feared the worst just seconds into Wednesday's 6-0 thrashing of Honduras. In the first passage of the game, he broke free down the middle and looped the ball over Luis Lopez to open the scoring. With the clock showing 15 seconds, it was the fastest goal in Olympic history. 

Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press

It had come at a price, though. The Barcelona forward clashed with Lopez as he netted and stayed down for a good while, as an entire nation once more fretted over his fitness. Eventually he clambered gingerly to his feet and eased himself back into the game. 

It was about the closest Brazil came to a scare during an overwhelmingly one-sided last-four match that guaranteed the Selecao will close the Rio de Janieiro Games with at least a silver medal.

Honduras were predictably physical, falling just short of their astronomic fouls tally against South Korea with 22 infractions over the 90 minutes at the Maracana. 

If the Central Americans could not add to that number, it was because they simply couldn't get close enough to Neymar and Co. Gabriel Jesus, well and truly over his scoring drought of the opening games, added two in a nine-minute purple patch toward the end of the first half, as the hosts went into the break cruising at 3-0. 

For a while it appeared that Rogerio Micale's players would be happy to sit on that lead. But Marquinhos demonstrated their hunger to keep pushing for goals by adding a fourth six minutes after the interval, and Luan—excellent once again in the role of fourth striker—put his name on the scoresheet 11 minutes from the end to widen the deficit. 

The killer blow fell to Neymar, who had the chance for a second from the penalty spot when Johnny Palacios manhandled Luan in the area. It was a typical execution from the forward: a stagger, a shimmy, a quick glance at the goalkeeper, and a shot that nestled precisely inside the left-hand post.

Far from the boos that accompanied their early struggles, the Maracana crowd applauded their heroes off the pitch with a rousing ovation. 

Coach Micale could not hide his delight with Neymar once the game was over, and he only lamented that there were not more players of the Barcelona star's ability available to the Selecao, per Goal: 

"

[He is] a monster! Neymar is a guy who has a gift for playing football, who enchants. 

He has talent. External factors influence players with potential, and we want to understand how he developed in order to find more players [like him].

We will continue trying to understand, I confess that it is complex.

"

While his hyperbole is understandable, Micale might just be a little hard on the rest of a team that has done brilliantly to bounce back from early disappointments.

In the Gabriels—Jesus and Barbosa—and Luan he has three young strikers of exceptional quality at his disposal, who have all proved themselves in front of goal even when Neymar was not scoring. 

Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press

Midfielder Thiago Maia is another who has raised his reputation tenfold with an accomplished Games, even though in recent matches he has dropped to the bench in a purely tactical switch to introduce the more creative Walace.

Behind the midfield, meanwhile, Marquinhos and Rodrigo Caio shielded goalkeeper Waverton to perfection and ensured another clean sheet—Brazil have now gone 540 minutes without conceding at these Olympics. 

Across the pitch, one can see the spine of a new, young Brazil team emerging that is ready to banish memories of the staid football played by Dunga over the last two years. And while new senior coach Tite may choose to give the kids a well-earned rest for the next two World Cup qualifiers—against Ecuador and Colombia in September—more than a handful will doubtless be playing a role in the quest for Russia 2018. 

That, of course, is in the future. More immediately Brazil must take on a Germany team which, while perhaps not shining as brightly in their semi against admittedly tougher opponents, must not be taken lightly. 

The Europeans carried out a professional job to down the dangerous Nigeria 2-0 and book their own place in the final. They spent much of the match on the back foot after Lukas Klostermann opened the scoring just nine minutes in, but they soaked up everything Nigeria had to throw at them and avoided any real peril at the back. 

And in typical style, the side put the game out of doubt just when the Super Eagles pushed hardest to level the score. A slick counter-attack was finished off by Nils Petersen at the far post a minute from the end, giving Germany an unassailable 2-0 lead and effectively ending the game as a contest.

Brazil know they will not be able to walk over their gold-medal opponents as they did with Honduras: a more thoughtful, patient approach will be imperative on Saturday. 

Nelson Antoine/Associated Press

Before the identity of their rivals for the gold medal had been revealed, Micale said:

"

We will treat this situation as we have done so far. We knew about that pressure from the beginning. What interests us culturally is the gold medal, because we haven't won it yet.

We will not lack fight. We are going to look [to take control] from the beginning. Our football is quality, but also from working hard.

We're playing together as a group. It is a reason that gives us hope that we can achieve this great dream. We will give our best to win the gold.

"

The chance to gain partial revenge for that dark day back in 2014 will be great motivation for Brazil's improving youngsters, and Neymar's opportunity for redemption after suffering that defeat from the sidelines. But the gold is an even greater incentive for victory. 

Saturday's final brings together the two teams that have arguably been the best in the competition, in the latter stages at least if not initially.

And the Selecao will be spurred on by knowing two prizes are on the line: that first Olympic gold and the recovery of national pride that was so badly bruised in the Mineirao meltdown two years ago.