Brazil said goodbye to Paris 2024 after losing in the quarterfinals against Norway by a convincing 15-32.
The team coached by Cristiano Rocha was unable to stop the Norwegian dominance, which advanced to the semifinals and closed the South American participation in this Olympic edition.
After securing their place at this stage with a resounding victory over Angola, the team led by Cristiano Rocha faced a formidable challenge against the Norwegians, who had arrived with the label of bronze medalists in Tokyo 2020.
Right from the start, Norway showed why it is considered one of the powers in world handball.
Europe’s Stine Oftedal opened the scoring, establishing an early lead.
Despite an outstanding defensive performance by Brazilian goalkeeper Gabriela Moreschi, who saved a crucial penalty, Norway’s offensive efficiency was unstoppable.
With a 67% shot efficiency rate, Norway capitalized heavily on their chances with quick breaks and counterattacks.
Their ability to take advantage of every opportunity and their precision from the edge were evident throughout the first half, which ended with a resounding 8-16 in favor of the Europeans.
Norway extends its lead
The opening minutes of the second half were quite similar to the first, with an unbreakable defense and the outstanding 50% effectiveness of their goalkeeper, allowed the Norwegians to double the Brazilian team’s score.
Despite the Nordic dominance, the performance of Brazilian goalkeeper Gabriela Moreschi, who stopped 7 of 28 shots, was key to prevent the Europeans from extending their lead even further.
Finally, the match ended 15-32 in favor of Norway.
Thus, Brazil says goodbye to Paris 2024 and closes its eighth participation in the Olympic Games with 2 wins and 4 losses.
Photo: IHF. By: Camila Miranda Torres.
