Neymar and Brazil drew a blank in Olympic football opener in Brasilia
By Mark Crellin
Last Updated: 04/08/16 11:50pm
Despite the presence of Neymar, hosts Brazil were held to a 0-0 draw by 10-man South Africa in their opening match at the Rio Olympics.
Barcelona man Neymar is the biggest name taking part in the tournament but he endured a frustrating afternoon in Brasilia on a sandy and slow surface.
South Africa had Mothobi Mvala sent off with half an hour left but still managed to hold out for a draw, and even had their chances to win it, while Brazil's Gabriel Jesus, who joined Manchester City this week, produced an early "miss of the tournament" contender at the other end.
A near-capacity 70,000 crowd were in attendance at the Mane Garrincha Stadium and Brazil were fancied to open with a victory.
Neymar captained the Brazil side but appeared to drop too deep in the first half, although he did draw two excellent saves from South Africa goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune with shots from outside the area.
South Africa then bossed the opening stages of the second half, only for Lebo Mothiba and captain Keagen Dolly to squander chances.
And Mvala then picked up a pair of quickfire yellow cards to leave his team right up against it.
However, Jesus somehow managed to miss a glorious chance to win it for Brazil, hitting the post from close range with an open goal gaping.
And Neymar's dipping drive landed on the roof of the net, as South Africa escaped with a point.
Iraq and Denmark also played out a scoreless draw earlier on Thursday, meaning the four teams in Group A all have one point.
