Brazil beat Brazil to win Olympic gold in the Tokyo 2020 final. Photo by Zhizhao WU/Getty ImagesBrazil has won more medals in men's Olympic soccer than any other country. They also have gold for the second consecutive time after defending their title in Rio five year ago.The final was an excellent match and far better than the competition merits. The men's soccer is no longer a club-required event. It is now completely random and everything depends on who is available. Brazil takes this tournament seriously and the Spanish season started later than other European leagues. This allowed them to put together a strong team, which included six Euros players. The result was a fascinating battle of footballing ideologies.Spain came to play, keep possession, work their triangles, and play their way through. Brazil was asked to disrupt their flow, stay organized, and attack the ball at just the right moment, adding doubt to the Spanish players' minds. Brazil wanted to make every Spanish pass a risk. As the second half progressed, Brazil won the game.VAR awarded them a penalty for Unai Simon's clattering into Matheus Cunha during a free kick. Brazil won the match despite Richarlison's blaze over the bar. They led at the half-hour mark. Claudinho crossed right footed to the left. Daniel Alves, at the far post, did a good job keeping the ball alive and hooking it into danger zone. Spain's Pau Torres couldn't deal with the threat. Matheus Cunha fought back with elegance and ferocity.- Watch ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. Only)- Do you not have ESPN? Get instant accessSpain responded with substitutions at half-time. They had to chase down the game, which nearly proved to be their undoing. Claudinho found Matheus Cunha who pulled back to Richarlison, who worked the ball skillfully onto his left foot before pulling the trigger. Simon was able to get enough control of the ball to send the ball high and it fell off the underside the crossbar.Spain was happy with their let-off, and soon found their rhythm. Their quick passing and razor-sharp movement undressed Brazil's defence down the right. Carlos Soler crossed for Mikel Olazabal to equalise. He scored with a spectacular left-footed volley at far post.Spanish took the initiative. Oscar Gil, right-back, hit the bar with a mishit crossover. Bryan Gil, a substitute, racked up a shot of intent from the area's edge and we were off to extra-time.STREAM ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ Dan Thomas is joined with Craig Burley, Shaka Herlop and other experts to bring you the most recent highlights and discuss the major storylines. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S only).And unlike Brazil's semi-final against Mexico, this time no one was playing for penalty points. The flow of the two teams trying to find a winner continued, but Spain won the third consecutive extra-time. This tipped the balance. Brazil withdrew MatheusCunha, who was not completely fit following the injury sustained in the quarterfinal. They also introduced Malcom, an extra winger. Spain was aware that Brazil would launch a counterattack and the battle would be down the flanks. They changed their full-backs to ensure they had some fresh legs.It didn't work. With 12 minutes remaining, the decisive moment arrived. Malcom was forced into space on the left and he powered past Jesus Vallejo. Simon may have been diving in the wrong direction so he directed his left-footed shot towards a corner. Simon was able to get a foot in front of the ball but there was only one change in the trajectory: it went upwards, just inside the top corner. Spain was out of gold, so Brazil took the title.Is it important? It does matter. The celebrations at last whistle proved it. But in cold light, it seems that the most important conclusions can only be drawn from the context of senior national sides.The news for Brazil is also positive. These players will most likely be playing in the World Cup at end of next year. They will be more successful for their experience or, in the instance of Alves (38 years old), for showing that having so much experience does not make it impossible to operate at the highest level. The impressive partnership of midfielders Douglas Luiz, Bruno Guimaraes and Matheus Cunha was a great one.Brazil's problem position at centre-forward for over a decade has been astonishing. This summer's Copa America saw a dearth of a back to goal centre-forward who could force the defensive line into deepening and make space for Neymar. Matheus Cunha would be a good choice for this role. So if Tokyo can help Brazil reach its potential in Qatar, this may be more important than the color of the medal.
