Brazilians braced for Honduran hurdle

Men’s Quarterfinals Today Japan          vs       Egypt     12:50 SS3 Mexico      vs     Senegal     15:20 SS3 Brazil         vs     Honduras 17:50 SS3 Great Britain     vs     Korea     20:20 SS3

Friday, August 03, 2012
Brazil forward Neymar has been the highlight of the football tournament. Net photo

Men’s Quarterfinals TodayJapan          vs       Egypt     12:50 SS3Mexico      vs     Senegal     15:20 SS3Brazil         vs     Honduras 17:50 SS3Great Britain     vs     Korea     20:20 SS3Having won all three of their matches during the group phase of the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament London 2012, Brazil have confirmed their status as one of the favourites to win gold. Barring A Seleçao’s path to the semi-finals are surprise packages Honduras, who made waves by pulling off a shock victory over Spain in Group D.Brazil improved as the group phase progressed, scoring three goals a game and gradually shoring up their defence with each passing match, until their final Group C match against New Zealand saw them secure a morale-boosting clean sheet. Mano Menezes’ charges will need to be at their best to unlock a tight rearguard that has not conceded a goal since Honduras’ opening 2-2 draw with Morocco. They will have to be equally wary of Los Catrachos’ formidable counter-attacks.Favourites for the tournament and brimming with star quality, Neymar and Co have no margin for error as they aim to move one step closer to lifting a trophy that has always managed to escape the South American nation’s grasp. Opponents Honduras, whose squad is mostly made up of domestic-based players, have been preparing for the Olympics for quite some time. They will thus rely on their hard-earned defensive solidity to see them through a quarter-final clash in which they have nothing to lose."Brazil have a very strong team, but that’s not a problem for us. We’ve got no intention of letting them have it all their own way, and we’re going to try to enjoy the occasion. "On paper, they should beat us over 90 minutes, but we’re certainly not going to go into the match with a defeatist attitude,” Honduras coach Luis Suarez.