Olympic Beach Volleyball 2016: Men's Medal Winners, Scores and Results

Brazil and Italy battled the elements in the men's beach volleyball final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro late Thursday night, but sheets of rain didn't deter Bruno Oscar Schmidt and Alison Cerutti in a 2-0 gold-medal victory at Copacabana Stadium. 

Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai led Italy, but the pair of potent players couldn't come up with enough magic to silence the Brazilians. 

In bronze-medal action, the Netherlands took down Russia in straight sets thanks to the combined efforts of Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen.

Following those results, here's an overview of the updated medal count entering the home stretch of the Rio Games: 

The two sides traded blows throughout the first set, and Brazil appeared primed to pull away and take an easy 1-0 lead after going up by three points on two occasions at 14-11 and then 17-14. 

However, Italy held tough and ripped off three straight points to knot things at 17 points apiece before taking a brief 19-18 lead.

Even though Lupo and Nicolai flashed plenty of resolve as the first stanza progressed, Schmidt and Cerutti were more tactically sound and maintained enough composure to rip off three consecutive points and win the set after going down by a point late in the frame. 

Italy struck back and controlled the early stages of the second set to the tune of an 8-5 lead, but the bouncy Brazilians remained determined and battled back to tie things at 11 points apiece thanks to the support of a raucous home crowd. 

And by the time the championship was in sight, Brazil had it rolling. 

Cerutti and Schmidt pulled ahead, 17-15, during the latter stages of the second set, and some brilliant and efficient shot-making from the Brazilian duo put the Italians in a tight spot as the crowd started to roar, per NBC Olympics:

Then, with triple match point in tow at 20-17, Brazil served out the victory following a stupendous display of verticality at the net.

Although the Italians' run ended in heartbreaking fashion, they earned a silver medal that few expected.

Nicolai and Lupo were lucky losers who scrapped and clawed their way out of the group stage and into the knockout rounds, and fans shouldn't overlook their resilience. Plus, Italy secured its first men's beach volleyball medal ever thanks to the duo's showing in Rio. 

As for the host country, Brazil snagged its second gold medal in men's beach volleyball after emerging victorious in 2004. Brazil has also medaled in five straight Olympics.

Postgame Reaction

"I don't have the words to describe how I'm feeling," Cerutti said, per the Olympic News Service on Twitter. "To win at Copacabana is the Maracana of beach volleyball."

"There has been so much pressure to handle," Schmidt added, according to the Olympic News Service. "It was the most difficult time in my whole life."

The Italians wasn't quite as thrilled with the result, but they acknowledged that a silver-medal finish was nothing to be ashamed of. 

"We are young, happy about the result and we are going to celebrate anyway," Lupo said, per the Olympic News Service. 

"We gave all we had but our opponents deserved to win," Nicolai added, according to the Olympic News Service. "They have been dominant for three years."