Rio 2016: Neymar fails to shine for Brazil

Brazil had left out Neymar from Copa América Centenario 2016 squad to keep him fresh for the Rio Olympics. The gamble, however, did not pay off on Thursday as South Africa downed the shutters on Brazil in their Group A match. (REUTERS)

Updated on: Aug 05, 2016 11:33 AM IST

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Updated on Aug 05, 2016 11:33 AM

Brazil had left out Neymar from Copa América Centenario 2016 squad to keep him fresh for the Rio Olympics. The gamble, however, did not pay off on Thursday as South Africa downed the shutters on Brazil in their Group A match. (REUTERS)

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Updated on Aug 05, 2016 11:33 AM

Neymar, one of the three ‘overage’ players, in the under-23 squad, played deeper, attempting to pull the strings from behind the younger forwards Gabriel Barbosa and Gabriel Jesus. The youngsters, however, missed their chances, including a sitter in the second half. (AFP)

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This is Neymar’s second Olympics; he had won the silver medal at the 2012 London Games. A traditional football powerhouse, Brazil have never won the football event at the Summer Games. (AP)

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Neymar, however, came close to breaking the deadlock in the second half, curling the ball just over the bar with a strike from the left side of the South Africa penalty box. (AP)

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Brazil next face Asian giants Iraq on Monday, followed by a game against Denmark on Thursday. The top two teams from each of the four groups advance to the quarterfinals. (AP)