PARIS — Brazil reached the Olympic women's football final as they claimed a stunning 4-2 win over world champions Spain in Marseille on Tuesday and will face the United States for the gold medal.
Playing their sixth Olympic semi, Brazil capitalized on a number of Spanish defensive mistakes to reach Saturday's final at Parc des Princes where they will seek a maiden title against four-time champions USA.
PARIS — Brazil veteran Marta will miss her team's semi-final against Spain in the Paris Olympics women's soccer tournament later on Tuesday after the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed her two-match suspension.
The 38-year-old, who is her country's all-time leading scorer and will retire from international football this year, had been shown a straight red card in their group loss to Spain on July 31 after a dangerous challenge late in the first half.
¡MARTA ES EXPULSADA!
UPDATE: The USWNT's 2-1 victory vs. Australia means that Brazil advance and will play France in the quarterfinals.
A Marta red card vs Spain during Brazil’s group stage finale in the 2024 Olympics saw the women’s soccer icon exit the field in tears. Spain won the game 2-0.
The 38-year-old is playing in her SIXTH Olympics for Brazil, however it was hardly the fairy tale ending she hoped for. In stoppage time of the first half Marta had a dangerous challenge on Spain’s Olga Carmona.
Brazil's all-time top scorer in both men's and women's football, Marta, will retire from internationals this year, the 38-year-old striker said ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Marta, who has been playing in the United States with Orlando Pride since 2017, hopes to make her sixth appearance at the Olympics at this year's Paris Games.
Marta retiring from national team
Marta announces she will retire from international football at the end of this year.
Marta is already a soccer legend and built upon that status Thursday when she provided the game-winning assist for Brazil in their 1-0 win vs. Japan in the SheBelieves Cup.
The Brazilian forward will turn 37 when Brazil plays Canada on Sunday but is still producing pieces of magic on the field.
Thursday’s SheBelieves Cup game was Marta’s first time playing in 327 days. In March 2022 the Orlando Pride star tore her ACL during an NWSL Challenge Cup game vs. the North Carolina Courage.
After coming off injured in the 31st minute of the Orlando Pride's 1-0 NWSL Challenge Cup defeat to North Carolina on Saturday, six-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta confirmed the worst on her Instagram account Monday morning — the Brazilian legend has suffered a knee ligament injury and will undergo surgery.
Marta said she'll be out "for a while," but the 36-year-old also said "now it's time to focus on my recovery to get back to doing what I love most, representing my country, my people and my team."
Miraildes Maciel Mota is known by most Brazilian soccer fans by her nickname: Formiga, meaning "ant" in Portuguese. It is a testament to her tireless work on the pitch and unselfish play — much like the way an ant contributes to its colony.
The all-time leader in goals scored at a World Cup is not Pelé nor Ronaldo — it’s another Brazilian, the timeless Marta. The brilliant No. 10 added a 113th career international goal to her tally on Monday, a stunning free kick that stirred Pelé whilst the elder Brazilian watched from a hospital.
If you had to name the current Galácticos of women's club football, the answer is pretty easy: Olympique Lyon. The French side won a record 14 consecutive Ligue 1 titles and five Champions League titles in a row before both streaks were ended by PSG this year.
But 20 years ago, there was an unexpected forerunner in women's soccer, a team full of Galácticos that spawned at a time when the original Galácticos side at Real Madrid was still in its infancy.
Speaking from firsthand experience, I know how hard it can be on your body to wake up in the middle of the night to watch Olympic soccer played in Japan. I thought it was fun in 2002 for the World Cup, but my body rebelled hard after the first day of play on Wednesday.
And yet, I can’t wait to wake up early for the next Group F match, because those games have been stupidly entertaining at the 2020 Olympics.