Brazil vs Germany LIVE: Final score, result and reaction from 2020 Olympics

Follow all the latest from the Tokyo Games as Brazil face Germany in the men’s football tournament

Brazil's Men soccer squad prepare for Olympic debut against Germany

After the Women’s tournament kicked off football at the 2020 Olympics on Wednesday - Team GB picking up an impressive victory - the Men’s event has followed suit on Thursday with Mexico and New Zealand among the early winners.

Brazil served notice of their intent - and more importantly their ability - to retain the Olympic Gold medal in men’s football with an impressive 4-2 victory over Germany on Thursday.

Five years ago in Rio, these two sides met in the final and it took a penalty shootout to separate them; here in Yokohama there was an absolute gulf between them in terms of quality, despite the scoreline somehow looking as though it was a reasonably close affair. And while it is only the first match of six if Brazil plan to go all the way once more and emulate Neymar, Marquinhos and Co, there were few flaws on show - outside of errant finishing - to give an indication of how rivals could upset them, even factoring in conceding twice.

Follow all the reaction to Brazil against Germany and the latest Olympics news from Tokyo 2020 below:

Brazil vs Germany at Tokyo 2020

• Brazil beat Germany 4-2 - Match report from 2020 Olympics
• Richarlison nets the early opener and scores second midway through first half
• Brazil No10 finishes his hat-trick in the opening half-hour before Cunha has penalty saved
• Germany pull one back but Max Arnold sent off on the hour mark
• Sub Ache heads in a late second for Germany
• Paulinho wraps up the win with a stunning late fourth for Brazil

[22 July 2021 10:37 · Dylan Terry]

Olympic champion Van Avermaet ready to ‘give it another go'

Olympic men’s road race champion Greg van Avermaet is in Tokyo ready to try and defend his title this Saturday.

The Belgian is at the race in support of his team leader Wout van Aert, but if the opportunity arises to try and win himself then there is no doubt he will take it.

Speaking on Twitter, he said: “Flashback time to Rio, where the Olympic dream became reality. Let’s try to give it another go with the team Saturday!”

Belgium boast a super strong men’s team for the 234 kilometre course including Van Aert and young superstar Remco Evenepoel.

[22 July 2021 10:25 · Dylan Terry]

Most Indian athletes opt out of Olympic opening ceremony

Just 22 of India’s competing athletes will attend the opening ceremony in Tokyo on Friday, according to Times of India.

This is due to coronavirus fears given the number of positive cases which have already been confirmed within the Olympic village.

Along with the 22 athletes, six Indian officials will also attend the ceremony, a fraction of the original number.

[22 July 2021 10:12 · Dylan Terry]

A look back at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Ahead of the official start of the Tokyo Olympic Games tomorrow, we thought we would take a look back at London 2012.

Compared with the fearful, glum atmosphere surrounding Tokyo due to the pandemic, 2012 could not have been more different.

But how did the Olympics in London unite a divided nation?

[22 July 2021 10:00 · Dylan Terry]

Murray vs Auger-Aliassime head-to-head

Andy Murray will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the first round of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The Brit has only faced the 20-year-old Canadian once before, a meeting which came in the second round of the US Open last year.

Auger-Aliassime won the match 6-2 6-3 6-4 and would go on to reach the fourth round before being beaten by eventual champion Dominic Thiem.

(Getty Images)

[22 July 2021 09:47 · Dylan Terry]

Coronavirus cases in Tokyo highest since January

The number of coronavirus cases in Tokyo is at its highest since January just days before the city is set to host the Olympic Games.

On Thursday, the Japanese capital registered 1,979 coronavirus cases just 24 hours before the opening ceremony.

The figure is 671 more than last Thursday as the transmission rate continues to skyrocket prior to the Olympics.

There have been doubts as to whether the Games could still be postponed or cancelled at short notice, but it appears now they are set to go ahead despite the pandemic.

[22 July 2021 09:45 · Dylan Terry]

Olympic road races and time trials preview

The road cycling at the Olympic Games gets underway on Saturday as the medals begin to be dished out in Tokyo.

Lizzie Deignan is Britain’s big hope in the women’s road race on Sunday as she bids to go one step further than the silver medal she managed at London 2012.

The Yates brothers will lead the men’s road race team on Saturday as they look to upset the odds and win a medal.

And then the time trials on Wednesday will see the likes of Anna van der Breggen, Chloe Dygert, Wout van Aert and Filippo Ganna looking to steal the show.

Full details here:

[22 July 2021 09:32 · Dylan Terry]

Djokovic arrives in Tokyo for Olympics

The tennis world number 1 Novak Djokovic last week confirmed he would be attending the postponed Tokyo 2020 games. He tweeted that he had booked his flight and was proud to represent Serbia at the games in Japan.

The 34-year-old won his sixth Wimbledon men’s singles title on 11 July.

Several high-profile tennis players, including Roger Federer and Serena Williams, have said they would not take part in the Olympics which kick off on Friday.

[22 July 2021 09:20 · Dylan Terry]

Tokyo’s unpopular Olympic Games lumbers towards opening ceremony with shrug and sadness

Be sure to check out our very own Vithushan Ehantharajah’s piece from Tokyo on what could have been at this summer’s Games.

Here’s a little preview: “To be in Tokyo this week is to operate in a state of perpetual quarantine. Or actual quarantine as one of the thousands of media to arrive on Monday or Tuesday.

“If, like many, this is your first trip to Japan, moving around the city feels like that specific privilege of losing deep into a game show. Happy to be there but pained by the loss of what you could have won.”

[22 July 2021 09:07 · Dylan Terry]

Key questions answered

Here are some of the most pertinent questions ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

• When is the opening ceremony?
• When do the events start?
• What is the time difference?
• What is the schedule for the Games and which sports are involved?
• When do the Games end?

Find out the answers to all of those questions by clicking on the link below.

[22 July 2021 08:55 · Dylan Terry]

Olympics opening ceremony director sacked over historical Holocaust jokes

The director of the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony has been sacked after historical footage emerged of Kentaro Kobayashi making jokes about the Holocaust in the latest scandal to hit the Games.

A clip was widely shared on Japanese social media on Wednesday showing the comedian Kobayashi in a 1998 TV skit which included the line “Let’s play Holocaust”, and there were strong calls for his dismissal.

The Jewish human rights organisation Simon Wiesenthal Center released a statement condemning the jokes, saying: “Any person, no matter how creative, does not have the right to mock the victims of the Nazi genocide ... any association of this person to the Tokyo Olympics would insult the memory of six million Jews.”

Kobayashi’s sacking comes one day before the start of the opening ceremony, which had earlier this week lost its musical composer Keigo Oyamada, who resigned after it emerged he had bullied classmates and boasted about it in a magazine interview.