Brazil’s football darling Marta leaves men’s captain Neymar in the shade

Goalless, booed off twice and facing another embarrassing tournament exit on home soil, Neymar and Brazil’s footballers have lost their shine as Marta’s free-scoring Brazilian women dazzle the host nation at Rio 2016.

Charged with restoring Brazilian football’s pride two years on from a 7-1 thrashing by Germany at their own World Cup, the Barcelona star and his protégés stooped to new lows with their second consecutive scoreless draw against Iraq on Sunday to a chorus of jeers in Brasilia.

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Instead Brazil’s treasured first Olympic football gold could come thanks to their women as a nation in need of inspiration has rallied around their sensational start.

In contrast to Neymar’s ineffectual and irritable displays, five-time World Player of the Year Marta has lived up to her billing as the golden girl, scoring twice in a 5-1 thrashing of Sweden on Saturday to add to an opening 3-0 win over China.

Marta is even becoming a stick to beat the beleaguered men’s team with. In the closing stages of the stalemate against Iraq, her name was chanted by the disgruntled crowd.

“The team has lost credit with the public,” Rio newspaper surmised on Monday.