Brazil's feminist footballers leave a Games legacy

Brazil’s women footballers ensured the opening day of action at Rio 2016 was a happy one for the hosts with a 3-0 win over China

Women’s football opened the Olympics in underwhelming circumstances with barely a few hundred spectators attending the opening match between Sweden and South Africa at Rio’s 60,000 Olympic stadium.

However, inspired by the hosts’ positive start, Brazil finally seemed to warm to the female form of the national game. In particular, Brazil’s hero Marta and Co. enjoyed massive crowds for their matches.

Even after Brazil had been knocked out, Friday’s final attracted an attendance well in excess of 50,000 -- significantly more than for many of the athletics sessions.

“The medal we’ve won is the respect of people,” said Brazilian goalkeeper Aline. “Brazil is paying more attention to women’s soccer.”

Brazil’s emotional journey to the semi-finals of a home Olympic Games had the potential to change the perception of women’s football in the soccer-mad country for generations, according to coach Vadao.

The Canarinha will faced Sweden for the right to guarantee a medal in front of a capacity 75,000 crowd at the Maracana on Tuesday -- just the second time the women’s national team have played at the iconic home of Brazilian football.

In contrast to the huge crowds the five-time world champions men attract, Brazil’s women, who have never won a major tournament, have traditionally failed to catch the public’s imagination.

“That is our main goal. We have been trying to develop the sport, football, for women,” said Vadao on the eve of the biggest day in Brazilian women’s football history.

“We don’t have the same situation as in the United States, Germany, France, Canada....we don’t teach football for girls in schools.”

However, led by five-time world player of the year Marta, Brazil’s women captured the hearts of a nation in need of local heroes for a troubled Games and put them through an emotional rollercoaster.

Demolitions of China 3-0 and semi-final opponents Sweden 5-1 in their opening two matches, whilst Brazil’s men couldn’t even muster a goal in draws with South Africa and Iraq, saw the women for once become Brazil’s favourite team.

However, almost 60,000 enthralled spectators at Belo Horizonte’s Mineirao suffered through 120 goalless minutes against Australia in the quarter-finals before a dramatic 7-6 win on penalties, despite Marta’s miss looking to have sealed Brazil’s fate.

Vadao’s women also filled Rio’s 60,000 Olympic stadium and the Arena de Amazonia in Manaus, nearly 3,000km from the Games’ host city, on their journey to the semis.

And he believed their success was promoting Brazil’s feminist movement in a country still dogged by severe problems with domestic violence.

“Our hope is exactly that. We’ve been to Manaus, Belo Horizonte, Rio... all the regions involved with women’s football.

“When the (federation) president asks us what women’s football needs, we can show with support, training and food they are able to do the same things.

“With the same conditions they will produce the same results as the men’s team.”

Marta’s popularity soared so much during the Games she outshone Barcelona star and captain of the men’s team Neymar.

Chants of “Marta is better than Neymar” had become a common occurrence, whilst one young boy’s decision to scratch Neymar’s name out on the back of his number 10 jersey and replace it with Marta and a small love heart went viral.

Despite being crowned as the world’s best player for five years in a row between 2005 and 2010, Brazil’s golden girl Marta has never managed to get the Canarinhas over the line to win a major international tournament.

After defeats to Germany in the 2007 World Cup final and silver medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, the stage was set for the 30-year-old to cap her career on home soil.

However, Marta is not the only key Brazilian player the wrong side of 30 with Formiga, who was playing in her sixth Games at 38, and the Olympics top-scorer of all-time Cristiane 31.

Tellingly, after starting by scoring eight goals in two games, Brazil flagged as the demands of playing every three days and two periods of extra-time took hold.

A paltry one goal in their final four matches saw them miss out on the podium completely. -AFP