Hosts Brazil have ghosts to lay to rest as the Olympic football tournament got the Rio 2016 Games underway yesterday.

Two years after the nation wept at the sight of a stricken Neymar exiting the FIFA World Cup on a stretcher and the 7-1 semi-final capitulation to Germany which followed, the hosts have the chance to ease those painful memories over the next two-and-a-half weeks.

Neymar, the Barcelona forward, is back again to carry the hopes of the country as one of his side’s three over-age players.

On the women’s side, for Neymar read Marta, the five-time women’s footballer of the year dubbed ‘Pele in a skirt’ by the man himself, who is also yet to win a major global trophy.

Neither Brazil’s men’s or women’s teams have ever won an Olympic title. The men’s team have reached the final three times, losing to Mexico four years ago with a teenage Neymar in the side, while the women took silver in 2004 and 2008.

But there will be an expectation on both to reach the finals at the Maracana – and perhaps go one better than before.

The women kicked off their campaign against China at the Olympic Stadium last night, two days before the opening ceremony, with Sweden and South Africa the other two teams in their group.

The Swedes beat South Africa 1-0 in the opener with Brazil thrashing China 3-0.

The United States are the defending women’s champions and will be bidding for a fifth gold medal in six Olympic Games tournaments.

Brazil’s men start their Olympic campaign against South Africa in Brasilia this evening, with Denmark and Iraq the other teams in their group.

There are no British football teams in Rio de Janeiro this time, unlike 2012 when the Games were staged in London.