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Brazil hopes to defy fate in Denmark clash

Brazil is facing elimination from its own Olympic tournament after scoreless draws against South Africa and Iraq. If it doesn’t beat Denmark in Salvador on Wednesday, the Olympic soccer party will go on without the hosts. They're doing so poorly that people are looking to the heavens for salvation. 

Brazil captain Neymar reacts after his team's goalless draw against South Africa.
Brazil captain Neymar reacts after his team's goalless draw against South Africa. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino
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It's crunchtime for Brazil's soccer team, the Seleçao. The hosts could be eliminated by Denmark on Wednesday if they don't get their act together.

They need to beat the Group A leaders in Salvador to guarantee their place in the quarter-finals after being booed off in consecutive stalemates against South Africa and Iraq.

On paper, the Seleçao had everything going for them: a home-field advantage and a golden player, Even Neymar. So what went wrong?

A lot of Brazilians are asking themselves just that, and not even Neymar seems capable of reversing the team's misfortunes.

There are a lot of doubts now as to whether he is suitable to captain the national team.

Brazil's coach Rogerio Micale affirms he is, and believes the team will bounce back.

But the Seleçao haven't been performing well for a while, judging by their fiasco at the World Cup where they were beaten 7-1 by Germany!

They need a miracle, and one of Brazil's black-magic artists is hoping to give them just that. Helio Sillman, an amateur of Afro-Brazilian rituals, is preparing what's known as a "Macumba", which he hopes will put the spark back into the team's lacklustre performance.

Magic or other weirdly supernatural tendencies first came to global attention through the predictions of an eight-legged octopus.

'Psychic Paul' as he was known, predicted the outcome of eight matches in the 2010 World Cup, becoming an overnight sensation.

Of course 'Pyschic Paul' didn't try to influence the outcome of a match through black magic like Sillman is proposing to do.

Commenting on the national team and its captain's poor form, the black magic specialist told reporters on Wednesday: "They have no Olympic spirit. I am going to ask Odum, the god of strength, to give Neymar 'good fluids' for him to recover the desire to go all out."

Neymar will have to give his best. Some Brazilians are so fed up with their national side, they've now started crossing out the No. 10 on their shirts--in reference to captain Neymar--and replacing it by 0.

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