Brazilian women's soccer team's "queen" Mada was suspended but witnessed her teammates' brilliance in the women's final eight at dawn on Sunday (4). They narrowly beat hosts France 1-0 in the final to advance to the quarterfinals. After the match, Mada announced that she would retire after the Paris Olympics, while her team chased the dream of a gold medal.
Despite Brazil's poor start, France launched 12 penalty corners in just 16 minutes, with Barfi coming close in the 39th minute. However, fate eventually favored Brazil. Baudio fired a deadly long-range shot in the 82nd minute to seal the deal. After the goal, the striker pointed to Mada in the stands as if to tell of the victory.
Mada, 38, was stepping onto the Olympic stage for the sixth time, but has never been able to win a gold medal and has only collected silver twice. After receiving a red card, she was in tears because she knew it could be the end of her career. Now, Brazil advances to the quarterfinals, meaning that Mada has two more matches to play. She witnessed the moment from the stands, waving her fists in excitement, cheering loudly and bursting with emotion.
The Brazilian women's soccer team will meet Spain in the quarterfinals, while Spain eliminated Colombia on penalties. Meanwhile, the U.S. women's soccer team defeated Japan 1-0 with an overtime winner from Lowen, and will battle Germany for a spot in the quarterfinals.
