While it may not have been the high-scoring thriller many fans expected coming in, the 2016 Olympics women's soccer quarterfinal match between Brazil and Australia certainly didn't lack for action. While neither team could score in the first 90 minutes or in extra time, it wasn't for lack of trying -- the match saw over 40 shots in the 0-0 draw, before needing eight penalties apiece to decide a winner, with Barbara making a huge save to send Brazil to the semifinals.
Brazil vs. Australia 2016: Final score 0-0, penalties send Brazil to Olympic semifinals
It took 120 minutes of close-fought soccer and an incredible penalty shootout to decide who faces Sweden in the semifinals.
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The match started out with a frenetic pace that surprised no one who had seen these two teams before Friday, with both sides racing forward with abandon trying to take advantage of shaky defenses. No early goals came of it, but Australia's defense was battered early thanks to left back Stephanie Catley being forced out of the match with an injury. She left just 20 minutes in, forcing Australia to adjust their game plan because of it.
Brazil tried to take advantage of that with some hard pushes forward from Marta, Andressa Alves, and Formiga, but Australia’s wicked speed on the counter from Lisa De Vanna and Samantha Kerr was able to keep them from pushing too hard -- for the most part. Brazil still had several dangerous attacks, but Australia were just able to keep them at bay and survive.
For all of Australia’s efforts to get forward and make something happen in attack, though, they struggled to be particularly effective going forward. Formiga and Thaisa did an excellent job of controlling the middle of the pitch for Brazil, and as threatening as De Vanna and Kerr were with their pace, Australia struggled to consistently get the ball at their feet. Brazil, on the other hand, consistently managed to penetrate into the final third, with Marta and Debinha particularly giving Australia headaches, and the Australians needed a big performance from goalkeeper Lydia Williams and center back Laura Alleway to keep them at bay.
An injury to Williams early in the second half threatened to throw things out of balance for Australia, though, getting awkwardly caught between Alleway and Brazil striker Beatriz during a race for a ball right in front of goal. No one was particularly to blame for the injury -- in that situation and considering where all three women started, everyone going for the ball was understandable and fair -- but it still left Williams writhing in pain for several minutes, and definitely not looking quite at 100 percent even after telling the referee she could stay on.
Brazil would suffer an injury blow of their own not long after, however. Right back Fabiana had performed excellently all match long despite suffering a knock to her right ankle early on, but she landed awkwardly on it after a challenge and was immediately and clearly in a lot of pain, She had to be stretchered off the pitch after failing to get to her feet even with help, and she was forced out of the match because of that injury, a big blow to Brazil's attack because of how often she was involved in the buildup.
The match started to open up more and more after that, with the biggest chances falling to Brazil. Their finishing let them down time and again, though, keeping Australia in the game. They just couldn’t get the clear-cut chance they needed to put Australia away, while Australia finally got their best chance of the match in the waning minutes of regulation. Chloe Logarzo fired a rocket from range that cracked off the crossbar, not dipping quite far enough to sneak in for a goal. Brazil wasn’t going to extra time without a fight, though, with Lydia Williams forced to scoop a shot right off the goal line just as the clock hit the 90th minute.
Fatigue saw more and more scoring opportunities open up for both teams, but fatigue also saw both teams struggle to complete those opportunities. Be it someone not being able to make the supporting run needed to score, or tired legs pushing a shot or cross just far enough off to remove the danger -- simple exhaustion was essentially acting as an extra defender for both Australia and Brazil.
Neither side found a way to overcome that fatigue, so the match had to be decided by penalties. Both sides made their first four penalties, but Brazilian legend Marta saw her penalty saved to give Australia a chance to win with their fifth penalty -- which Barbara saved off a shot from Katrina Gorry to send the penalties to sudden death. It took three more rounds of penalties to find a winner, but finally Brazil were left celebrating after Alanna Kennedy’s penalty was saved by Barbara.
Australia have no reason to feel shame despite the loss, having put in an absolutely incredible performance against the hosts and one of the best teams in the world. They’re clearly a rising power in women’s soccer, and we’re going to be seeing a lot more success from them sooner rather than later. They took Brazil to the limit, and came literally inches short of victory. But in the end Brazil were the one who won that game of inches, and they’ll be the ones playing the semifinal against Brazil with a chance to advance to the gold medal match on home soil.
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