Neymar scores fastest Olympic goal ever, leads Brazil into Rio 2016 final

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RIO DE JANEIRO — Remember when Brazil’s men’s soccer team couldn’t score? When the home fans were saying Marta, star of the Brazil women’s team, was a better player than Neymar, star of the Brazil men’s team?

Well, the scoring drought ended long ago. And, with all due respect to Marta, a five-time World Player of the Year, Neymar is performing like the best player in this country’s most popular sport and pastime.

Brazil and the once-maligned Neymar will play for the gold medal on Saturday in Sao Paulo. They earned that right after a clinical and convincing 6-0 dismantling of helpless Honduras at legendary Maracana Stadium on a hot and humid Wednesday afternoon.

Hope of the Hondurans mounting a challenge lasted just 14 seconds. Yes, right after the opening kickoff.

A lazy pass was intercepted by Neymar, who walked in one-on-one on poor, unsuspecting goalkeeper Luis Lopez. Neymar got a touch on the ball to guide it toward the wide-open goal before being crashed into by Lopez, as Neymar hit the ground hard but the ball bounced softly into the net for a 1-0 lead.

It was the fastest goal in Olympic history — just 14 seconds into the game.

“Neymar is a monster,” Brazil coach Rogerio Micale said. “He plays a great match today and wants to be Olympic champion. We make everything for his dream.”

Missed chances of every conceivable way were the reasons for Brazil’s back-to-back scoreless draws against those renowned soccer powers South Africa and Iraq in group play. All the big names on Micale’s roster took turns in showing how not to score a goal.

Gabriel Jesus seemed to bear the brunt of Micale’s frustration the most. In the 0-0 tie with Iraq, the new Manchester City signing got yanked in just the 55th minute for his uninspired play.

Now, Jesus is showing why the Premier League club spent $35 million on him. The forward finally scored in the breakout 4-0 victory over Denmark in Brazil’s final group game. Against Honduras, he struck twice in the first half to secure the Brazilians’ passage to the final.

Jesus made it 2-0 Brazil in the 26th minute when he beat Lopez with a pretty finish with the outside of his right boot. He got his second just nine minutes later when he latched onto a perfect through ball from Neymar and fired a shot high into the back of the net past Lopez.

The 3-0 halftime score grew to 4-0 in the 51st minute when an unmarked Marquinhos scored off a corner kick that fell right in front of him. The margin ballooned to 5-0 in the 79th minute when Felipe Anderson’s cross perfectly set up Luan for the easiest of tap-ins.

An interesting thing happened after that fourth goal. The Brazilian fans started to sing proudly about their nationality (“I’m not Argentinean! I’m a Brazilian!”), but then the chants turned to what happened two years ago when Brazil hosted the FIFA World Cup.

The pain of a 7-1 semifinal defeat to Germany is still felt by the passionate soccer fans here. And Brazil could face the Germans again in Saturday’s final if they beat Nigeria in Wednesday’s second semifinal. So it was no surprise that the Maracana faithful started chanting, “Germany, your time is coming!”

“Never forget the 7-1,” Micale said, “but this game is a different story.”

The only thing left in Wednesday’s lopsided affair was a curtain call for Neymar. He was still looking for goals late as his 90th-minute shot had to be punched away by Lopez. A foul on Luan in the area seconds later gave Neymar the chance to get his second goal by converting the penalty in stoppage time for the 6-0 scoreline.

After the match, Neymar, apparently still miffed by the criticism he received over Brazil’s limp start to these Games, walked through the mixed zone without taking questions. Some of the media booed him. Micale acknowledged the burden Neymar has had to carry in this tournament, saying it’s been “different” for the 24-year-old.

But if Neymar finally leads Brazil to Olympic gold, the media will surely change its tone and probably even lead the cheers.

Fernando Santos of Yahoo Brazil contributed to this report.