Football at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament – Final
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The 2016 Summer Olympic football gold medal match was a football match to determine the gold medal winners of men's football tournament at the 2016 Summer Olympics. The match was the 24th final of the men's football tournament at the Olympics, a quadrennial tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA to decide the Olympic champions. The match was held at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 20 August 2016. The match was played between hosts Brazil and Germany.[1]
Since the Olympic men's football was restricted to an under-23 tournament in 1992, Brazil has played in only one gold medal match, losing to Mexico in 2012. Germany, as a unified team or country, played in their first ever Olympic gold medal match. However, the former East Germany senior team won in 1976, before losing to Czechoslovakia in 1980.
The match was the first time the two sides had faced each other in a major tournament since Germany's senior team knocked Brazil's out in the semi-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, also hosted by the latter, beating them 7–1. The senior team had also met in the 2002 FIFA World Cup final, with Brazil prevailing 2–0 in Yokohama.[2]
The match was held at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Prior to the 2016 Olympics, the stadium had hosted two FIFA World Cups, in 1950 and 2014 in addition to the 1989 Copa América.
The Brazil squad celebrating victory on the podium following the receiving of their gold medals
Brazil's victory at the 2016 was their first in the men's football tournament and was one of seven gold medals won by Brazil in the 2016 Summer Olympics, where they finished 13th in the medal table.