Brazil beat hosts France 1-0 in Nantes to achieve the ladies’s Olympic soccer semifinals and prolong the top-level worldwide profession of legendary ahead Marta.
Marta, a six-time girls’s world participant of the yr, was suspended for the quarterfinal after receiving a crimson card in Brazil’s loss to Spain in its remaining group-stage sport.
On the time, with Brazil struggling to even make it by way of the group stage, that regarded like being a tragic finish to the Olympic profession of the 38-year-old, who has introduced she’s going to retire from worldwide soccer this yr.
However after limping by way of in third place in its group with two losses from three video games, Brazil gained with out the participant broadly thought to be the perfect of all time in girls’s soccer.
Gabi Portilho. acquired the decisive objective, bursting by way of two defenders to complete previous keeper Constance Picaud within the 82nd minute to the delight of Marta watching on within the stands.
Brazil, with Marta again from suspension, will face a rematch with Spain within the final 4 on Tuesday and is assured the prospect to play for a medal.
Regardless of all her accolades, Marta has by no means gained an Olympic or Ladies’s World Cup title with Brazil. The group went shut twice, successful silver medals in 2004 and 2008.
France paid the worth for failing to capitalize on its probabilities within the first half, with Sakina Karchaoui seeing a Sixteenth-minute penalty saved by Brazil goalkeeper Lorena.
Griedge Mbock Bathy then headed in opposition to the bar from a nook within the thirty ninth.
Portilho’s objective was Brazil’s first shot heading in the right direction and he or she then hit the publish late on.
Earlier world champions Spain fought again from 2-0 down and superior to the semifinals by beating Colombia in a penalty shootout.
Spain gained 4-2 within the shootout at Stade de Lyon, with Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí scoring the decisive spot kick.
Catalina Usme and Liana Salazar failed to attain from the spot for Colombia, which had regarded set to advance to the final 4 after taking a 2-0 lead by way of Mayra Ramírez and Leicy Santos.
Jenni Hermoso had sparked Spain’s second-half fightback and Irene Paredes compelled the sport to additional time with an equalizer within the seventh minute minute stoppage time.
Data from The Related Press contributed to this report.
