More Sports

'Only football counts'

A five-year-old is held aloft by her father in front of the Olympic Flame in Rio de Janeiro as the nation of Brazil burst into celebration following their Olympic football triumph after 64 long years of failure. Photo: AFP

Brazil won the entire Olympics -- or so it felt for fans dancing in the streets after Neymar fired the winning penalty for football gold.

Drivers of cars and trucks hooted and crowds in countless bars across the city screamed in a Saturday night delight.

At one open air bar along Rio's iconic Copacabana seafront, every man, woman and child leapt from their seats, hugging, pouring beer and, because this is Brazil, dancing samba between the tables and on the sidewalk.

"The champions are back, the champions are back!" they chanted.

Even after two weeks of hosting South America's first Olympics, nothing could compare for Brazilians to winning their first Olympic football title. Nothing else mattered.

"Brazil could have won [gold] medals in everything but if it hadn't been in football then nothing would have counted," said Leila Lopes da Silva, 70.

"Volleyball, judo, that's all fine," she said. "But football was what we needed."

Interim president Michel Temer quickly seized the moment.

"The Olympic #football team conquered a first ever #gold at a historic moment for the country. It's the moment to recapture the grandeur of our Brazil," he tweeted.

Temer hopes that the success will lift the grim national mood.

The notorious 7-1 defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup almost seemed like an omen of Brazil's ever deepening economic and political worries since. Today the country is mired in brutal recession and the bitter impeachment proceedings.

So victory by the under-performing football team and its sometimes wayward superstar is a morale booster.

"I don't think of it as revenge for the 7-1, I feel just that we were better and we deserved it," said Lucia Shad, 60.

"We've seen Brazilians full of confidence," she said. "Brazil has shown it's strength. The Olympics were a success when noone expected it, not even us."

Even as the dancing heated up and the cool beer flowed, some revelers struck a sober note.

"This victory won't change anything in the country. We'e need something more for that," said Tafarel Souza da Silva, a 27-year-old cattle dealer.

"Tonight we have all this emotion, but tomorrow it's all over," he said.

But for one night at least, Brazilians could dream. They had won glory in the sport they love most and in the stadium that matters most.

This was a night for Brazil to be celebrated as a success story -- a country at the top of the world.

When the television camera cut to show Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt in the crowd at the Maracana the fans in the bar were jubilant.

"He's become a Brazilian!" one fan shouted.

Comments

'Only football counts'

A five-year-old is held aloft by her father in front of the Olympic Flame in Rio de Janeiro as the nation of Brazil burst into celebration following their Olympic football triumph after 64 long years of failure. Photo: AFP

Brazil won the entire Olympics -- or so it felt for fans dancing in the streets after Neymar fired the winning penalty for football gold.

Drivers of cars and trucks hooted and crowds in countless bars across the city screamed in a Saturday night delight.

At one open air bar along Rio's iconic Copacabana seafront, every man, woman and child leapt from their seats, hugging, pouring beer and, because this is Brazil, dancing samba between the tables and on the sidewalk.

"The champions are back, the champions are back!" they chanted.

Even after two weeks of hosting South America's first Olympics, nothing could compare for Brazilians to winning their first Olympic football title. Nothing else mattered.

"Brazil could have won [gold] medals in everything but if it hadn't been in football then nothing would have counted," said Leila Lopes da Silva, 70.

"Volleyball, judo, that's all fine," she said. "But football was what we needed."

Interim president Michel Temer quickly seized the moment.

"The Olympic #football team conquered a first ever #gold at a historic moment for the country. It's the moment to recapture the grandeur of our Brazil," he tweeted.

Temer hopes that the success will lift the grim national mood.

The notorious 7-1 defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup almost seemed like an omen of Brazil's ever deepening economic and political worries since. Today the country is mired in brutal recession and the bitter impeachment proceedings.

So victory by the under-performing football team and its sometimes wayward superstar is a morale booster.

"I don't think of it as revenge for the 7-1, I feel just that we were better and we deserved it," said Lucia Shad, 60.

"We've seen Brazilians full of confidence," she said. "Brazil has shown it's strength. The Olympics were a success when noone expected it, not even us."

Even as the dancing heated up and the cool beer flowed, some revelers struck a sober note.

"This victory won't change anything in the country. We'e need something more for that," said Tafarel Souza da Silva, a 27-year-old cattle dealer.

"Tonight we have all this emotion, but tomorrow it's all over," he said.

But for one night at least, Brazilians could dream. They had won glory in the sport they love most and in the stadium that matters most.

This was a night for Brazil to be celebrated as a success story -- a country at the top of the world.

When the television camera cut to show Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt in the crowd at the Maracana the fans in the bar were jubilant.

"He's become a Brazilian!" one fan shouted.

Comments

রেইচা হতে গোয়ালিয়াখোলা রাস্তার ধারে ৫শতাধিক গাছ কাটা হয়েছে। ছবি: মংসিংহাই মারমা/স্টার

রাস্তা সম্প্রসারণে কাটা হচ্ছে হাজারের বেশি গাছ

স্থানীয়রা জানায়, সড়ক সম্প্রসারণের কথা বলে সড়কের দুপাশের প্রায় ৫ শতাধিক গাছ ইতোমধ্যে কাটা হয়েছে। কিছু গাছের গুঁড়ি এসক্যাভেটর দিয়ে উপড়ে ফেলা হয়েছে, যেন গাছ কাটার কোনো চিহ্ন পাওয়া না যায়।

৩২ মিনিট আগে