Brazil have won the Confederations Cup after thrashing world and European champions Spain at raucous Maracana Stadium.
Two goals from Fred and a stunning Neymar finish saw Brazil claim their third straight Confederations Cup title in emphatic fashion, as they brushed Spain aside 3-0 in the final on Sunday.
The
tournament hosts were in supreme form inside a raucous Maracana,
ripping the reigning world and European champions to shreds to end their
29-match unbeaten run, and claim the trophy for the fourth time,
alongside their triumphs of 2009, 2005 and 1997.
Fred needed only
90 seconds to open the scoring, before a thumping second from Neymar
moments before the break rounded off an excellent first half for Brazil.
The onslaught continued two minutes after the restart when Fred
put another past a shell-shocked Spain, who showed their ineptitude at
both ends when Sergio Ramos lashed a penalty wide.
Gerard Pique's 68th minute red card ended any fleeting hopes of a comeback from la Roja,
as Brazil's win sparked wild celebrations in the stands and saw Spain
lose by three goals in a competitive game for the first time since 1985.
The fans had the Maracana rocking long before kick-off, and barely
two minutes in, the home side nearly blew the roof off the famous
stadium when they took the lead.
Oscar delivered a ball into the box which Fred, Iker
Casillas, Alvaro Arbeloa and Pique all challenged. A goalmouth scramble
ensued and, despite laying on the turf, the Fluminense man reacted
quickest to poke home.
Fred very nearly set Oscar up for the second within minutes when he
flicked across the box from Neymar’s cross, but Chelsea’s young
playmaker drilled agonisingly wide.
Paulinho then made Casillas work hard to keep the deficit at one with
a cheeky lob after robbing Andres Iniesta, with the Spain keeper
backpedalling to get a hand to the attempt.
Vicente Del Bosque’s side were simply struggling to cope with the
tenacity and energy in Brazil’s play, which was matched every step of
the way by the fervour raining down from the stands And Arbeloa nearly committed a fatal mistake when he flattened Neymar
on the halfway line, but with the fans baying for blood, only a yellow
card was issued to the defender.
Spain finally showed signs of life when Iniesta’s rasping drive
forced Julio Cesar to push around the post, but it was an aberration
amid Brazil’s dominance, and Casillas had to stand tall again to stop
Fred from point blank range.
However, it was then the hosts' turn to live on the edge when an
outrageous goal-line clearance from David Luiz denied Pedro a sure-fire
goal after Mata’s pass put him one-on-one with Cesar.
But with half-time approaching, Brazil would get their deserved
second. Oscar drew the attention of the defence on the edge of the box
and deftly slipped in Neymar, who unleashed an unstoppable shot into the back of the net.
And two minutes after the interval, the hosts struck again. Hulk’s
fantastic diagonal ball was cleverly dunied by Neymar, leaving Fred to finish coolly into the bottom corner.
Spain were handed a glimmer of hope with a penalty after Marcelo
clumsily challenged substitute Jesus Navas, but Ramos extinguished that
optimism almost instantly with a wild spot-kick that flew wide.
And they were finished for good when Pique stuck out a leg in vain to
bring down the onrushing Neymar, earning the Barcelona defender a
straight red card as the last man.
It was party time inside the Maracana, with the irrepressible Neymar
driving past defenders with ease, and substitute Jo coming close to a
fourth with a powerful strike that was saved by Casillas.
Spain had a few chances to restore a little pride, but Pedro was
denied excellently from close range by Cesar, who did equally well to
push away a curling Villa effort with only minutes remaining.
But it just was not la Roja's night, with the final whistle
signalling what had been an inevitability for some time as the Brazil
celebrations kicked off in earnest.
The question now is whether the Selecao can ride this wave of momentum all the way onto the biggest stage of them all at World Cup 2014.
Spain finally showed signs of life when Iniesta’s rasping drive forced Julio Cesar to push around the post, but it was an aberration amid Brazil’s dominance, and Casillas had to stand tall again to stop Fred from point blank range.
"We never arrived," said Xavi, whose ineffectual performance was one of the big surprises on a lacklustre night for the Spaniards, who had Gerard Pique sent off.
"They were more intense, they pressured more and there was more rhythm to their game. They were just better."
His
words were echoed by coach Vicente del Bosque who, after voicing
irritation with Brazil fouls disrupting his side's flow, was quick to
acknowledge that "they were better than us and they deserved the title".
Golden
boot winner Fernando Torres said Spain's feeling of "inferiority" and
"inability to find any solutions" was hard to take, and something he and
his World Cup and European Championship-winning team-mates were not
used to.
However, Sergio Ramos, who missed a second half penalty, said: "We're not machines - this day had to come eventually."
"It's helpful to lose now and again - it reminds you that you're not unbeatable," Del Bosque said, while Iker Casillas was already looking a year ahead, saying: "At least now we know exactly what to expect in 2014."are preparing to sell Xabi Alonso. Punto Pelota says Real will sell Xabi once they wrap up a deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Asier Illarramendi. Illarramendi will move to Madrid as a direct replacement for Xabi, who is wanted by former club Liverpool and Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. Real will seek €12 million for the midfielder, 31, who has less than 12 months to run on his existing deal
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