Vintage Brazil!
Brazil players and officials pose with the trophy after winning the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup—AP
Brazil came out on top in the match-up of past and present football powers on Sunday, winning their third Confederations Cup title and boosting their confidence ahead of next year’s World Cup.
The hosts proved too strong for world champions Spain, cruising to a 3-0 victory at the Maracana Stadium in the match everyone had been expecting for years.
Spain did not have what it took to stop Brazil’s reinvigorated team, allowing the five-time world champion to earn a resounding victory with two goals by Fred and one by young sensation Neymar.
“We played a very good match, it allows us to have a better idea about the path ahead of us,” Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. “We have a good team to play in the next World Cup.”
Fred put Brazil on the board less than two minutes into the match, Neymar added to the lead just before halftime and Fred netted his fifth goal in five matches early in the second half to give Brazil victory at the World Cup warm-up tournament.
“We beat the world champions today, but we know that the tournament that we will be playing next year will be a lot more difficult,” Scolari said. “Now we have more confidence, that’s what we needed.”
Sergio Ramos missed a penalty kick in the 55th and Spain ended the match a man down after defender Gerard Pique was sent off with a straight red card for fouling Neymar in the 68th. Brazil came in hoping a victory would help them regain their status as a global powerhouse after recent struggles. Brazil were eliminated in the quarterfinals in the last two World Cups and hadn’t won a significant title since the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa.
“The champion is back,” chanted the crowd of more than 73,000 people at the renovated Maracana, the stadium that will host the World Cup final on July 14 next year.
It also didn’t take long before the fans — in a sea of yellow jerseys - started teasing the Spaniards, chanting “Wanna play, wanna play!? Brazil will teach you.”
Now Brazil have to be respected: Neymar
Epitomizing Brazil’s upturn has been Neymar, with Barcelona’s new recruit turning in performances to match the hype surrounding him. “Brazil have shown to the world that this is the Brazilian national team and that we must be respected,” Neymar said. “I think that today we had a great victory against the best team of the world with some of the best players in the world and we didn’t hide ourselves.
“We went all out into the match. We were all running and playing very strongly — that shows how we are a strong team.”
Scolari says his players have “represented Brazil with dignity.”
“Apart from the quality of all our players the main aspect of the Confederations Cup was our fans,” coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said.
“We had the crowd supporting us. I believe that is very important this goes on, that we continue to have this unity, this spirit ... when we come together we become strong.”
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