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Tuesday was not an easy day for Brazil. While a small handful of the host country’s Olympians came out victorious, a series of shocking upsets stole the show throughout the day.
It’s not unusual for a country – especially one with as many top athletes as Brazil – to have a day of ups and downs, but Tuesday stood out for a number of reasons. For one thing, hosting brings another level of scrutiny and pressure from the home fans. For another, Brazil has underperformed halfway through the 2016 Games. Before yesterday, the country had only two gold medals and lagged behind the top 10 in the overall count.
With all of that setting the scene, Brazil trotted out some of its top talent remaining in the Olympics. What followed was not too pretty. Take a look back at Tuesday’s grueling losses and brief flashes of glory for the hosts.
A young fan reacts during the women’s indoor volleyball quarterfinal between Brazil and China. (Getty) Soccer stunner by the Swedes
Chalk this one up to bad timing, a red-hot foe and an inability to finish in the most crucial moments. The Swedish women’s soccer team – coming off a shocking upset of the Americans – entered Maracana Stadium with one simple goal: lock Brazil down. That they did en route to yet another 0-0 draw and penalty kick victory.
The win avenged Sweden’s 5-1 loss to the host country in pool play and simply fueled more criticism of the country’s so-called “boring” style of play. Boring, maybe, but nobody can question its success thus far in the tournament, as the Swedes are headed to the gold medal match against Germany.
Brazil was not without its chances, outshooting Sweden 32-6 and putting consistent pressure on goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl. By the end of the match, though, Marta was in tears and 70,000 fans stood in absolute shock. Not a good start to the day.
Marta of Brazil reacts after losing to Sweden in a semifinal. (Getty) Top-ranked takedown on the sand
Oh, but it doesn’t get much better. The No. 1 women’s duo Larissa Franca and Talita Rocha were supposed to be shoo-ins for the final, but fifth-seeded Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst of Germany promptly upset the Brazilian favorites to earn a spot in the gold medal match.
The semifinal didn’t even go a full three sets, as the Germans scored a 21-18, 21-12 sweep at Copacabana Beach.
Ludwig and Walkenhorst will try to win Germany’s first beach volleyball gold medal in history when they face off against – spoiler alert – another Brazilian duo Wednesday.
Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst of Germany celebrate defeating Larissa Franca and Talita Rocha of Brazil. (Getty) Historic lightweight boxing gold
Twenty-seven-year-old Robson Conceicao turned things around in the afternoon, putting his name in the record books as the first Brazilian to medal in boxing. The rowdy home crowd of nearly 9,000 chanted and cheered him to the top of the podium.
A lightweight boxer, Conceicao took the unanimous decision over France’s Sofiane Oumiha (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) and tallied the country’s third gold in 2016.
The celebration was easily a major highlight of the day for the host country and could ultimately become one of the most memorable moments of the entire Olympics.
Brazil’s Robson Conceicao, left, fights France’s Sofiane Oumiha during a men’s lightweight 60-kg final boxing match. (AP) Indoor women’s volleyball stunned
Brazil’s undefeated indoor women’s volleyball team entered the quarterfinals as heavy favorites over the China, which held a 2-3 record before Tuesday evening’s match. Sound familiar? Well, for a Brazilian team that was trying to become back-to-back-to-back gold medalists, it certainly wasn’t supposed to end like this.

But, alas, it did. In gut-wrenching fashion, too – a five-set thriller, both teams battling to the very end. Ultimately, the resilient Chinese squad took the final set 15-13 and advanced to the semifinals where it will take on the Netherlands.
The biggest winners in all of this might just be the United States. For an American team that has lost to Brazil in the finals of both 2012 and 2008, watching Brazil falter in front of its home fans must have been a great sight. The U.S. will face Serbia in a semifinal Thursday morning.
Jaqueline de Carvalho Endres of Brazil cries after being defeated by China in the quarterfinal. (Getty) Agatha and Barbara handle the Americans
So, technically, this ended early Wednesday morning in Rio, but we’re counting it anyway. As Kerri Walsh Jennings’ 26-match winning streak hung in the balance, Agatha and Barbara absolutely stole the show with a semifinal sweep under the lights.
The 38-year-old Walsh Jennings and her partner, April Ross, simply couldn’t answer the Brazilians’ relentless attacks, falling in rare mistake-filled sets 22-20 and 17-15. For Agatha and Barbara, though, it was a chance to offer some sort of redemption for stretch of nationwide letdowns.
In the end, the duo remained sturdy, ending a trying day on a high note.