Richarlison hat trick lifts Brazil over Germany
Twenty-four hours before the opening ceremonies, Brazil's Richarlison made an impressive early bid to become the first breakout star of the Tokyo Olympics.
The striker — who plays professionally for Everton in the English Premier League — scored three breathtaking goals in the first half-hour of Brazil's 4-2 defeat of Germany, in their men's soccer opener Thursday morning.
In the seventh minute Richarlison, 24, split the German centrebacks after a throw-in and potted a rebound off his own shot.
He split the same confused German backliners again 15 minutes later, this time hammering in a header off a perfectly placed cross from the deep left by Guilherme Arana.
In the 30th minute, Richarlison — inexplicably left wide open on the left side on a 3-on-3 break — made a deft, soft, setup touch to the inside — off the outside of his right foot — then placed a seeing-eye shot with his right to the far side, around both a late-arriving defender and German goaltender Max Kruse.
“It's super. It's all I can say here — super stuff,”
an English-accented playby-play announcer said of Richarlison's hat trick, on the Olympic host broadcaster's feed.
It was the first time a Premier League player has scored a hat trick in the Olympics.
Germany made it a game with two second-half goals, but Paulinho rocketed home the clincher late in stoppage time for the defending Olympic champs.
In the other Group D opener, Ivory Coast edged Saudi Arabia 2-1. In Group A, Mexico trounced France 4-1 and Japan beat South Africa 1-0. In Group B, Romania beat Honduras and New Zealand beat South Korea, by 1-0 scores. In Group C, Australia blanked Argentina 2-0 while Egypt and Spain played to a scoreless draw.
This men's Olympic soccer tournament permits only players born on Jan. 1, 1997, or later — that is, no older than 24. While, technically, it's still being called a tournament for U23 players, Olympic men's soccer organizers are using the same age-eligibility criteria intended for these Games in 2020. Thus, Richarlison and other 24-year-olds are permitted to suit up in the 16-team men's field.
There is no age limit on the women's side in Tokyo, which features 12 teams.