Brazilians lay it all on the line

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.