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Brazil Captures Gold Medal in Olympic Soccer Competition

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Brazil's players react as Neymar scores the decisive penalty kick during the final match of the men's Olympic soccer tournament at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 20, 2016.
Brazil's players react as Neymar scores the decisive penalty kick during the final match of the men's Olympic soccer tournament at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 20, 2016.

Brazil's Olympic soccer team defeated Germany on Saturday to win the gold medal at the Rio Games, the first Olympic victory for Brazilian footballers in a country obsessed with the game.

Brazil's Neymar scored the winning goal in a dramatic shootout that ended with a score of 5-4, following a 1-1 draw in regulation.

Neymar also scored in the 27th minute as Brazil took a 1-0 lead. Max Meyer scored the equalizer for Germany in the 59th minute.

The crowd in Rio's Maracana Stadium erupted in cheers at the win for the home team, as Brazilian players embraced one another in relief and celebratory glee.

U.S. players celebrate after the gold medal basketball game against Spain at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 20, 2016.
U.S. players celebrate after the gold medal basketball game against Spain at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 20, 2016.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. women's basketball team has won its sixth consecutive Olympic gold medal, routing Spain 101-72.

Diana Taurasi and Lindsay Whalen scored 17 points apiece to lead the U.S. squad, while Maya Moore added 14. Ana Torrens led Spain with 18 points.

The Americans have won 49 consecutive games in the Olympics with only one of those decided by single digits.

With that kind of sustained success, some contend this is the best women's basketball team ever assembled. After the game, Taurasi would only say, "I hope so," when asked whether she thought this squad was the best.

They won by nearly 40 points a game, but fell short of the record 102.4 points that the 1996 team averaged.

United States' Diana Taurasi, right, leaps into the arms of teammate Angel McCoughtry as they celebrate their win over Spain in a women's gold medal basketball game at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 20, 2016.
United States' Diana Taurasi, right, leaps into the arms of teammate Angel McCoughtry as they celebrate their win over Spain in a women's gold medal basketball game at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 20, 2016.

The Americans, who beat Spain by 40 in a preliminary-round game, got off to a slow start and led by only 21-17 after the first quarter. Then they got the momentum going with a 16-3 run in the second quarter that blew the game open.

Triathlete Gwen Jorgensen of the United States poses with her gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Aug. 20, 2016.
Triathlete Gwen Jorgensen of the United States poses with her gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Aug. 20, 2016.

Gwen Jorgensen on Saturday became the first U.S. athlete to win the Olympic women's triathlon, finishing 40 seconds ahead of her nearest competition with a time of 1 hour, 56 minutes, 16 seconds.

Jorgensen, who was foiled by a flat bicycle tire in the 2012 Olympics, bested silver medalist Nicola Spirig of Switzerland, who took gold in 2012. The bronze medal went to Britain's Vicky Holland, who eked out her third-place finish by sprinting past British teammate Non Stanford.

Track, other results

On the track, the American men and women won their respective 4x400 relay races, while Matthew Centrowitz took gold in the 1,500-meter event - the first American to win the race since 1908. The U.S. has amassed 31 medals in track and field - 13 of them gold.

Ruth Beitia of Spain earned gold in the women's high jump. Caster Semenya of South Africa easily won the women's 800-meter race. Mo Farah of Britain took the gold in the men's 5,000 meters. And German Thomas Rohler won the men's javelin.

On the golf course, South Korea's Park In-bee took gold with a found round 5-under-par 66.

China won women's volleyball, while China's Chen Long won gold in men's badminton.

Russia earned four golds - women's handball, team rhythmic gymnastics, modern pentathlon and freestyle wrestling.

Britain's Nicola Adams retained her title in boxing's flyweight division.

And canoeist Isaquias Queiroz became Brazil's first Olympian to win three medals at the same games. Queiroz and his partner Erlon de Souza took silver in the men's 1,000-meter double after losing to Germany's Sebastian Brendel and Jan Vandrey.

Queiroz also won silver in the 1,000-meter single, also losing to Brendel. He took bronze in the 200-meter race.

Meanwhile, China's Chen Long won gold in men's badminton, beating Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei in a best-of-three match. Lee was the favorite going into the match. Saturday's game game him his third silver Olympic medal.

Denmark's Viktor Axelsen beat China's Lin Dan for the bronze.

Final day

Also Saturday, the U.S. Olympic Committee announced that gymnast Simone Biles was chosen by the U.S. athletes to carry the American flag in Sunday's closing ceremony. Biles, who took four gold medals and a bronze in this year's competition, called the decision "an incredible honor."

The final day of the Olympics Sunday features 12 gold medal events, including men's basketball and men's marathon.

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