On Aug. 20, Neymar led Brazil to a 5-4 victory in penalty kicks against Germany by controlling the pace of the game at Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro.

In the historic FIFA World Cup 2014 semifinal, Germany demolished Brazil 7-1 without Neymar , who had to exit the tournament because of a leg injury. Brazil then faced elimination immediately after the group stage of the Copa America Centenario in June 2016. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil yearned to regain their fans confidence by winning the gold medal for the first time. With their great fortune, Brazil qualified for the gold medal in their game against Germany, the team which Brazil desperately needed to settle scores.

“Nobody here played in that final. What happened in the past is in the past. Nothing is going to change that, even if we win by seven goals. We have a chance to create our own history,” said Weverton, the Brazilian goalkeeper (New York Times).   

At the start of the game, Brazil maintained their stand against Germany. For the first 25 minutes, nothing major happened. However, as the 27th minute arrived, Neymar, received a free kick and he smashed it in. Not only did Neymar uplift the morale of his Brazilian teammates, but he also achieved a record of scoring the fastest goal in an Olympic gold-medal game for men’s soccer.

“Scoring a goal that early was spectacular for us,” said Rogerio Micale, the Brazilian coach (People Entertainment Weekly Network).

For the remainder of the first half, no one scored. When the second half began, Germany was behind Brazil by one goal. However, in the 57th minute, Max Meyer, the German captain, received an assist and struck the ball into the left side of the goal.

“What counts is this game, the Olympic final,” said Horst Hrubesch, the German head coach. “It is a different team and we are here to live our dream right to the end.” (Rio2016.com).

For the rest of the second half and  into  overtime, the score remained tied at 1–1. This led to the penalty shootout. German shooters: Ginter, Gnabry, Brandt and Sule and the Brazilian shooters: Renato Augusto, Marquinhos, Rafinha and Luan; all smashed their shots into the goal to tie the score  at 4–4. Unfortunately for Germany, Petersen, Brazil’s fifth shooter, struck the ball to the right, but Weverton blocked  the penalty. At  this moment, Neymar prepared to take the winning penalty shot and the whole crowd went wild. Neymar struck the ball, and scored. Brazil had won their first Olympic gold medal.

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

In this game, Brazil achieved victory primarily because Neymar succeeded in leading the team and controlling the pace of the game. At any stage of the game, Germany could have stolen the lead if not for Neymar’s excellent leadership. Even though Brazil had a close game, they surely regained their fans confidence after the FIFA World Cup and Copa America losses.

Watch next how Brazil and Germany will perform in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.