Spain denied Olympic gold by brilliant Brazil

Spain's women's football team, a strong contender for gold, will now vie for bronze after a devastating 4-2 defeat to Brazil in the Olympic semi-finals in Marseille on Tuesday.

The South Americans exacted revenge for their group stage loss, dominating Spain for most of the match.

Brazil's aggressive start led to an early goal, capitalising on a catastrophic error by keeper Cata Coll, who kicked the ball against her own defender, resulting in an own goal.

Spain, visibly fatigued, struggled to regain control, and Gabi Portilho's goal before half time underscored Spain's defensive frailties.

Despite second-half adjustments by Montse Tomé's side, Spain's efforts were in vain. Adriana made it 3-0, scoring from a rebound off the crossbar, before a brief resurgence saw Alexia Putellas and Mariona Caldentey get two goals back for Spain in an attempt to salvage the match.

However, Brazil were lethal on the counter-attack and Kerolin's late goal ended Spain's hopes, who must now recover quickly before facing Germany for the bronze medal on Friday.