One minute into the final of the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup
and there were two Brazilian players lying on the ground in the Spain box, one
of them – Fred – reacting quicker than anyone to hook a loose ball into the net
and give his side the lead.
There was another Brazilian player on the deck at the other end
of the pitch as half-time approached. This time the man working wonders on the
floor was David Luiz, who slid in from nowhere to intercept Pedro’s goalbound
shot and divert it over the bar, keeping the home side’s 1-0 lead intact.
Those two passages of play proved vital as Brazil swept Spain
aside at the Maracana on Sunday and showed the level of commitment of Luiz
Felipe Scolari’s men, who challenged for every ball and turned in the kind of
lion-hearted performance that every coach dreams of seeing from his players.
Luiz’s commitment was clear to see when he spoke afterwards, his
shorts, wristbands and anklebands stained green by the Maracana grass: “I just
tried to do what I had to do stop the ball going in. I had to try.”
Fred’s prostrate heroics served a different purpose: to give
Brazil a lead they would not relinquish. “You have to believe,” he said.
“Little pieces of play like that are fantastic and show just how determined to
win we were.”
Scolari’s charges were not short of belief when they walked out
on the pitch. Intent on fighting for every ball, the Brazilians did just that,
knocking the reigning world and two-time European champions off their stride to
such an extent that there was only a four-percent difference between the teams
in terms of possession, Spain enjoying a relatively low 52 per cent to Brazil’s
48.
The turbo-charged samba stars roared to victory with two goals
from Fred and a stunning strike from Neymar, dominating a weary Spanish side
whose strength was sapped after edging Italy on penalties in Thursday’s
semi-final.
A miserable night for Spain also saw them miss a second half
penalty when Sergio Ramos shot wide from the spot before Barcelona defender
Gerard Pique was sent off for a professional foul on Neymar. Brazil coach Luiz
Felipe Scolari said the result as the perfect fillip as he plots a course to an
assault on next year’s World Cup finals in Brazil.
“People know a much tougher event is coming up (next year),”
said Scolari. But he noted: “We can set out on the journey with a little more
confidence.”
Spanish counterpart Vicente del Bosque meanwhile admitted his
side had been outclassed on the night. “There are no excuses. Brazil were
better than us. We must congratulate them,” del Bosque said.
The touchpaper for an electrifying evening at one of the most
iconic venues in football was set during the pre-match ceremonies as Brazil’s
fans in a 73,531-crowd belted out a spine-tingling rendition of the national
anthem.
The stirring anthems came as police clashed with protestors
outside the ground before kick-off, the latest in a series of violent
confrontations which have dogged the tournament since it kicked off.
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