Rio 2016 Olympics Semi Finals:
Germany vs Nigeria
venue: Corinthians Arena
Time: 17 Aug 2016 - 16:00 Local time (8.00PM Nigerian Time)
City: Sao Paulo
Profile: Germany
Olympic Record
Germany’s best performance at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament came in their most recent appearance, with a bronze medal in 1988. In their three group games in Busan, they saw off China PR and Tunisia before succumbing to pool winners Sweden. A quarter-final defeat of Zambia, courtesy of a Jurgen Klinsmann hat-trick, was followed by a penalty-shootout semi-final defat to a Romario-inspired Brazil. A straightforward 3-0 win against Italy in the Bronze medal match, with Klinsmann again on the scoresheet, saw the Germans pick up a medal at the eighth time of asking.
The Road to Rio
A cagey opening game at the 2015 UEFA U-21 European Championship set the tone for an unconvincing German qualification for Rio. Their 1-1 draw with Serbia was followed by a straightforward victory against Denmark, but their final group match, which secured their passage to Brazil, was a tense 1-1 stalemate against hosts Czech Republic. The semi-final in Olomouc saw the Germans swept aside by their Portuguese counterparts, who cantered to a memorable 5-0 victory. The Nationalmannschaft will be hoping for more consistent performances if they are to mirror their senior side’s 2014 success in the Maracana come 20 August.
Former stars
Richard Hofmann (1928), Wilhelm Simetsreiter (1936), Willi Schroder (1952), Jurgen Klinsmann, Frank Mill and Karl-Heinz Riedle (1988).
The stat
76 – there were almost eight decades between the Germans’ first appearance at the 1912 games and their first medal, a bronze in 1988.
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