Brazil
scrapped their way to a flattering 3-0 friendly win over France on Sunday in an
ugly, disjointed match against opponents who are even worse off than
themselves.
Second-half
goals from Oscar, Hernanes and Lucas gave the under-fire Confederations Cup hosts
a timely pre-tournament tonic in the city where coach Luiz Felipe Scolari built
his reputation.
Brazil,
who ended a six-match, 21-year winless run against France, had gone into the
game under enormous pressure after only one win in six outings since Scolari
returned for a second stint in the job last November.
While
the result, if not the performance, will give Brazil some relief, France were
left to face the long flight back from their brief South American tour
reflecting on their fourth defeat in five matches this year and their fifth in
11 outings under Didier Deschamps.
Having
rested Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery, the toothless French, beaten 1-0 by
Uruguay on Wednesday, barely tested Julio Cesar as they completed their trip
without scoring.
"We
didn't have the head nor the legs," Deschamps told TF1 television.
"We played well for 20 minutes against Uruguay and for a short period
against Brazil. Even in adversity, against superior teams, we should be able to
do better."
RESTLESS CROWD
Brazil's
win placated a restless 51 000 crowd at the Arena Gremio, which is not
among the 2014 World Cup stadiums, after they had jeered forwards Neymar and
Hulk during the game.
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