Brazil reaches women’s soccer quarterfinals

BEIJING – Cristiane scored three first-half goals, including one with a spectacular overhead scissors kick, helping Brazil advance to the Beijing Olympics women's football quarterfinals with a 3-1 comeback win over Nigeria on Tuesday. Nigeria broke its tournament scoring drought in the 19th minute after Cynthia Uwak was brought down inside the area and Perpetua Nkowcha drove the resulting penalty high and left of Brazilian goalkeeper Barbara. But Cristiane scored twice in three minutes to give the Athens 2004 Olympics and World Cup finalists the lead in the 35th. She extended it to 3-1 seconds from half time with a third. Brazil advanced atop its group with two wins and a scoreless draw with World Cup winner Germany. The Germans also secured a quarterfinal place with two wins on a 1-0 defeat of North Korea in a match being played in Shanghai at the same time. Nigeria went out with three straight defeats. Cristiane, third in the FIFA women's player of the year voting for 2007, was commanding playing up front with Marta in front of a nearly capacity crowd at the 58,000-seat Workers' Stadium. She leveled with a powerful, leaping header in the 33rd when Rosana got around a defender on the left wing and sent in a pinpoint cross. Two minutes later Precious Dede parried a long-range shot, the Brazilians regaining possession and floating a ball into the area for Cristiane who, with her back to goal, lifted a left-foot shot over her head and just over the Nigerian 'keeper. She scored again deep in injury time when midfielder Maycon played her through and Cristine guided in a right-foot shot from beside the spot to make it 3-1 at the half. Nigeria peppered Barbara with some long-range speculators after the break, but the Brazilian goalkeeper had little difficulty handling the shots. Cristiane had the best chance of the second half, forcing a finger-tip save from Dede with a left-foot shot from the top of the area in the 65th. The Brazilians played with more structure in attack but made some simple defensive blunders early in the match. Nigeria, needing a win to avoid a first-round exit, was dangerous on the break with Sarah Michael and Ifeanyi Chiejine causing trouble for the Brazilian defenders. The Brazilian women lost the final of the 2004 Athens Olympics to the United States and were fourth at Sydney 2000 and in Atlanta in 1996, when women's soccer began at the Olympics. – AP