South Korea 0-3 Brazil: Crushing the "ginseng," Selecao advance to the final.

KhHe was truly outstanding, but it's not to say he was undeserving; that's how the Brazilian Olympic team defeated the South Korean Olympic team to reach the men's football final at the Olympic Games.

Brazilian stars at Old Trafford - Photo Getty

At the start of each half, South Korea consistently outperformed Brazil, creating clear scoring opportunities. However, the sole difference between the two teams lay in the quality of their players. While the Asian team's strikers appeared ineffective and inexperienced, the Selecao stars showcased their talent and star quality.

The dazzling passing combinations of the Oscar-Sandro-Neymar trio from midfield, along with Damiao's exquisite finishing in the penalty area, were the key to Brazil's victory. The Selecao's next and final opponent will be their dangerous neighbor, Mexico. Meanwhile, South Korea will finally meet their arch-rival Japan, but in the third-place playoff.

Statistics Corner

+ In all four of Brazil's matches at the 2012 Olympics, there were at least three goals scored. Furthermore, eight out of their last ten matches have also had at least three goals.

+ 10 out of Brazil's last 13 matches have had at least one goal in the first half. This figure for the Selecao at the 2012 Olympics after 4 matches was 2.

All four of South Korea's matches at the 2012 Olympics ended goalless in the final 15 minutes.

South Korea has consistently scored the opening goal in all four of their matches in this year's tournament. Meanwhile, Brazil conceded the first goal in two out of their four matches in London.

Brazil has won all of their last 6 matches. Meanwhile, South Korea has only won 1 out of 4 Olympic matches in 120 minutes of regular time.

Brazil may not be as formidable and overwhelming as expected, but they remain the top contender for the gold medal. Meanwhile, the underdog South Korea truly worked wonders after eliminating the host nation Great Britain in the quarter-finals. However, at Old Trafford tonight, the team from the Land of the Morning Calm is unlikely to be a match for the Samba team in any aspect.

One of Brazil's three overage stars, striker Hulk, was left out of the starting lineup for the first time at the 2012 Olympics. Prior to the semi-final against South Korea, the Porto star and Chelsea's top transfer target had always been manager Mano Menezez's first choice on the left wing. At Old Trafford, his position would be taken by his club teammate Andre Santos.

Starting lineup

South Korea's Olympics:Lee Beom-young - Oh Jae-sok, Yun Suk-young, Kim Young-kwon, Hwang - Kim Bo-kyung, Ki Sung-yueng, Koo Ja, Nam - Ji Dong-won, Kim Hyun-Sung.

Brazil Olympics:Gabriel - Rafael, Juan, Thiago Silva, Alex Sandro - Sandro, Romulo, Oscar - Neymar, Damiao, Marcelo.

First half

3rd minute:South Korea adopted a defensive-counterattacking strategy right from the start, with the Asian players actively pressing and marking the Brazilian midfielders.

P7th smoke:Marcelo just delivered an inaccurate cross into the box. The Brazilian left winger is replacing Hulk on the left flank.

10th minuteSouth Korea just delivered a well-placed cross from the right wing, but unfortunately, striker Ji Dong-won couldn't reach it.

12th minute: DANGER!A series of dangerous attacks ensued in front of the Brazilian goal. South Korea had two consecutive close-range shots on goalkeeper Garbiel, but both were unsuccessful.

14th minute: DANGER!Ji Dong-won had a close-range header opportunity after a well-placed header pass from Kim Hyun-Sung, but Rafael made a timely clearance. It appears the Brazilian defender's leg was high inside the penalty area.

16th minute:It was Ji Dong-won again with a powerful long-range shot, but the ball went slightly over the Brazilian goal. South Korea is playing with great enthusiasm and has become much more confident after these recent opportunities.

20th minute: SAVE!Goalkeeper Lee Beom-young rushed out of the penalty area to block Damiao's attack. Next, a red-shirted defender cleared the ball right on the goal line after Sandro's skillful lob. Brazil immediately responded.

23rd minute: SAVE!Goalkeeper Lee Beom-young once again made a diving save to punch away Sandro's skillful curling shot. Damiao's subsequent rebound shot grazed the South Korean goal.

PhThe 29th youngest:Oscar had a chance to shoot inside the South Korean penalty area, but the ball hit the legs of the red-shirted defenders.

33rd minute:Rafael is actively participating in attacks down the right flank. The position the Manchester United defender occupies is the very area that South Korea is exploiting.

38th minute: GOAL!!!Romulo easily tapped the ball into the net from close range after a pass from Sandro. The score was 1-0 for Brazil.

40th minute:In the situation where Romulo opened the scoring, Oscar, Neymar, and Sandro combined very well from midfield.

43rd minute:Brazil are deliberately wasting time with quick passing sequences in their own half. It seems they want to end the first half with this advantage and will play defensively and counter-attack for the remaining 45 minutes.

Minute45th: DANGER!Ji Dong-won unleashed a powerful long-range shot. The ball traveled quickly and dangerously but missed the Brazilian goal.

The first half ended with Brazil leading 1-0.

Second half

P48th smoke:Ji Dong-won controlled the ball with his chest inside the Brazilian penalty area before unleashing a powerful shot. The ball went wide and over the crossbar.

50th minute:Kim Hyun-Sung took a very dramatic fall inside the Brazilian penalty area, but the referee determined that Sandro was not at fault.

54th minuteSouth Korea had a good free-kick opportunity, but Ki Sungyueng's shot hit the wall.

57th minute: GOAL!!!Damiao scored against South Korea with a close-range shot. Earlier, Neymar had made an impressive run into the penalty area before passing the ball back to Damiao.

59th minute:South Korea made their first substitution. Jung came on to replace Koo.

61st minute:Ji dog-won received a yellow card after fouling Oscar.

64th minute: GOAL!!!Damiao scored another goal inside the penalty area, and the assist came from none other than Neymar. Brazil are leading 3-0 and have the victory firmly in their grasp.

67th minute:Thus, Damiao has scored 6 goals at the 2012 Olympics and is leading the list of top scorers in the tournament.

71st minute:Brazil is completely ceding control of the midfield to South Korea, but that's nothing to worry about. The Selecao are leading by three goals and are extremely confident.

75th minute:Brazil made their first substitution. Hulk came on to replace Marcelo.

PhThe 77th youngest:Brazil further substituted key players. Pato came on for Damiao, who scored a brace in this match. Meanwhile, for South Korea, Baek replaced Ji-dong-won.

P83rd smoke:Brazil made their final substitution. Bruno replaced Juan in the defense.

86th minute:The spectators at Old Trafford were leaving one by one while the young Brazilian players were free to showcase their individual skills in a game that was already decided.

90+1 minute:Oscar tried his luck with a shot from nearly 50 meters out, but it was unsuccessful.

With two minutes of added time in the second half ending, Brazil secured a 3-0 victory over South Korea, booking their place in the final at Wembley.

According to TT&VH Online - DT