On the last day of the Paralympic Games, in one of the few disputes remaining, the party at Arena Carioca 1 was green and yellow. But it was not Brazil’s anthem that was played at the end, but Australia’s. In a very emotional match in the wheelchair rugby final between Australia and the United States, the Oceania team won and won the gold medal after two overtimes. He continued to dominate the country in the sport, as he won in London 2012, and on top of that, he had his revenge against the USA, which they defeated in the 2008 final in Beijing.
The highlight of the game was the rally bat, which was one of the mainstays of the Australian team. The game’s top scorer, with 27 goals, was happy after the bat match. “I could say that my wedding day was the happiest day of my life, but it’s really cool. We are world champions, gold medals twice in a row, I’m on top of the world. Gold medals in team sports It’s very difficult to win and we’ve done it twice. It’s fantastic”, said Australia’s No. 3.
Crowd
From the first minute of the game, Brazilian fans filling the stands chose the Aussie as the favourite. Perhaps the uniform colors – green and yellow – made the choice easier or the Brazilians just decided to resist a noisy group of Americans watching the match. The bat gave himself, gave everything in every step and became among the favorite “Australians” of Brazilians. When Australia’s No. 3 was penalized and had to be out of the match for a minute or so from the opponent, the crowd criticized the referee greatly.
Batt confessed that he didn’t notice the crowd while playing. “Honestly, I couldn’t hear them. It was just a noise in the background.” The athlete, however, said he would like to see Brazilian fans in Tokyo four years from now. He left the match exhausted and arrived at the awards ceremony. “I want food, a beer, and a glass of water,” he said before moving his chair to reporters.
The podium was completed with Japan, who defeated Canada 52–50 in another highly contested game, to win the bronze medal. This is Japan’s first sports medal at the Paralympics. The Japanese campaigned for honor by defeating France and Sweden, apart from selling the necklace to the United States too expensive, still in the group stage.
A balanced and electrifying finish
It was a balanced game from end to end. At no time did a team have a difference of more than two goals. Australia and the United States turned up the scoreboards and rare mistakes in the game directly affected the result. The teams were tied 12-12 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter of the game was for Australia. With just over four minutes to go, the Aussies were able to score 19 to 17 and take the lead. As practically all attacks from both teams resulted in a goal, the score since then changed between one and two points of advantage for only the green and yellow teams. End of second quarter, 26 to 25 for Australia.
The third quarter continued to tell a story that was difficult to predict. The United States took the lead in this period with 6 minutes and 28 seconds remaining. The score was 37 to 37 at the end of the third quarter, leaving sentiment for the end: an already predictable script when talking about the clash of the two top teams in the Paralympic final.
Australia again went ahead at the start of the last quarter. In the middle of the period, he took advantage of a wrong pass from the United States team and managed to open two points of advantage, 43 to 41. With this, Australia always remained ahead on the scoreboard by a goal or two margin, as the game progressed.
Less than two minutes into play, Bat misses a long pass, which is intercepted by an American. With 1m30s to go, the United States tied. “Fat” was no longer present on the scoreboard. Australia tried to stay ahead of the scoreboard in the final moments of the match, but Josh Brewer knew how to play with the clock and, with only two seconds remaining, tied 49–49. It was overtime.
last second fixed overtime
During overtime, “Australia! Australia!”, trying to push the team to another Paralympic gold. At the end of overtime, the United States were leading the score by a goal, but Chris Bond manages to tie the game in an incredible attack. With all the congested area, the Aussie Shirt 10 gets a minimum space between several chairs to score and draw, once again postponing the end of the match. Grandeur went wild at Arena Carioca 1.
The second overtime reflects an already known story. Australia are one goal ahead and have 15 seconds to go. The United States then tries the same strategy that was used before. They catch the ball, spend the seconds and score the final goal when the clock strikes. But the Paralympic champion from four years ago showed a sure and impenetrable defense. The clock is no longer the Americans’ ally and they try to make their way into opposing territory with less than ten seconds to spare.
However, the previous attack was not as successful. Australia’s efficient defensive system takes possession with three seconds remaining, only time to celebrate. Gold to “Australian” to the delight of Australian and Brazilian fans. The Green and Yellow Party, in English and Portuguese, at the final chapter of the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. – Brazil in letters with news agencies – I3D 18127
