RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Brazil's women's football team was greeted by hundreds of adoring fans in Manaus on Monday, as their performances and fame all of a sudden eclipsed that of their struggling male counterparts.
The women play South Africa in the Olympic tournament on Tuesday, with qualification for the knock-out stage virtually guaranteed after excellent wins over China and Sweden.
Their captain and most influential player, five-time world player of the year Marta, is shaping up to be one of Brazil's Olympic stars with fans at both men's and women's games loudly declaring her superior to men's captain Neymar.