MARSEILLE, France: Brazil will face the United States in the final of the Olympic women's soccer tournament after beating world champions Spain 4-2 on Tuesday.
Gaby Portillo, Adriana and Caroline scored in an emotional semi-final at the Stade de Marseille, with an own goal from Irene Paredes putting the two-time silver medallists ahead.
“It's a dream and dreams do come true,” said Caroline, who scored the first of 15 minutes of added time to stop a late Spanish fightback. “I'm so excited, so excited, so excited. I'm really, really, really impressed with my teammates.”
The win gives Brazil great Marta the chance to end her illustrious international career by competing for gold after serving a quarter-final and semi-final suspension.
Marta, 38, has revealed that the sixth Olympics will be her last major competition with the national team.
“We knew what we were doing today, and today was our last game,” said Angelina, who was leading the Brazilian team. “So we were very determined and just came to win.”
Angelina said the Brazilian team should “celebrate a little” but quickly focus on the final.
“It was a big win. Again, Spain is an amazing team and we knew that,” she said. “So now we have to relax and study a lot and see what we can do against the United States.”
Spain will miss out on the chance to add Olympic gold to their World Cup triumph last year and solidify their status as the women's football powerhouse in Paris.
But there is still a lot to compete for at the Paris Olympics.
“We're going to keep fighting for something really good, and it's going to be an Olympics until the end,” Spain forward Jennifer Hermoso said. “Even a bronze medal is very hard to get.”
Paredes scored an own goal after just six minutes to give Brazil the lead, before Portillo doubled the lead four minutes into first-half stoppage time.
Adriana's header in the 71st minute underscored Brazil's dominance. But just as victory looked certain, there was much more drama to come.
Salma Pararuelo pulled Spain back level with a header in the 85th minute, before Alexia Putellas' shot from outside the area hit the post.
Caroline fired a shot past Spain goalkeeper Catacol to put her team ahead 4-1.
Pararuello added a second goal in the 12th minute of added time, but it was too late for Spain to fight back.
Brazil will face four-time champions the United States Women's National Team in the final at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Saturday.
Spain will play Germany in Lyon for the bronze medal.
Brazil has lost to the United States twice in the Olympic final (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008).
They lost 0-2 to Spain in the tournament group stage, but recovered to reach the final for the third time.
Marta was sent off in that match, and Brazil received confirmation that their appeal against her suspension had been dismissed just hours before the semi-finals began.
Ultimately, Brazil didn't need their best player this time around and a fatal mistake from the Spanish defence did the trick, but they took a big step towards the final when Cole, under pressure from Priscilla, beat Paredes and attempted a clearance that went into his own net.
Brazil took their chances well, going for goal repeatedly and taking the lead just before the end of the first half when Portillo turned Yasmim's cross into the bottom corner.
Adriana's first-time shot from six yards out hit the crossbar before Portillo headed a shot wide to make it 3-0.
Spain, who had been down 2-0 after beating Colombia in the quarter-finals, had given their fans hope with a header from Paralluelo. But Paralluelo's second goal proved to be only a consolation when Kerolin put Brazil ahead 4-1.
“We have shown the world that we have a young team, a team with a very good tactical understanding, a team that is competitive and that we will always be competitive,” Brazil coach Arthur Elias said. “In women's football, Brazil is a source of great pride.”
