LONDON — With a goal in 29 seconds, Mexico extended Brazil’s wait for a first Olympic football gold for at least another four years.
Oribe Peralta stunned the Brazilians by scoring as some fans still were making it to their seats for the final at Wembley Stadium yesterday. The heavily favored South Americans never recovered, losing 2-1 after a late comeback attempt came up just short.
“I don’t know if this was the best match of my career, but what I do know is that this is the most important, because I am here today with a gold medal,” Peralta said. “I dreamed about this moment. It is one of those things you don’t get to live every day.”
The surprising result left Mexico celebrating its first Olympic gold in men’s football — and Brazil wondering if it will ever add the elusive title to its long list of triumphs in football.
“Yet again we came close, but didn’t quite get it,” Brazil coach Mano Menezes said.
Peralta took advantage of a mistake by the Brazilian defense in the opening minute and slotted a low right-foot shot just inside the near post. It was the fastest Olympic goal since FIFA began keeping record of the competition in 1976.
* A South Korean soccer player who held up a sign with a political message after a victory over Japan did not get a bronze medal yesterday when the Olympic medals were handed out in a ceremony to the rest of his team.
Midfielder Park Jong-woo is under investigation by the IOC and soccer’s governing body, FIFA, for displaying the sign with a slogan supporting South Korean sovereignty over disputed islets that are claimed by both his country and Japan. The largely uninhabited islets are called Dokdo by South Koreans and Takeshima by Japanese.
* NBC acknowledged some critics in announcing it changed plans and will stream today’s Olympic closing ceremony live online.
The ceremony from London will still air on a tape-delayed basis on NBC in prime time. For the opening ceremony, NBC took some heat for not making the event available to anyone in the United States for hours after the fact.
* Two candidates voted by London Games athletes to represent them as International Olympic Committee members have been removed from the election for breaking rules by campaigning too hard.
IOC Athletes Commission chairman Frank Fredericks says the athletes — Japanese hammer thrower Koji Murofushi and Taiwanese taekwondo fighter Chu Mu-yen — had their results wiped after finishing in the top four of a 21-candidate poll.
* Lauren Jackson took over in the second half, scoring 21 of her 25 points to help Australia beat Russia 83-74 and win the women’s basketball bronze medal.
* David Svoboda of the Czech Republic won the modern pentathlon Saturday after matching the Olympic record in the fencing event.
* Germany won the Olympic men’s field hockey title for the second successive time when they won a thriller against The Netherlands, the former champions, by 2-1.