The
Selecao, fuelled by a deafening atmosphere inside the Maracana, brought la Roja
to their knees with an outstanding display to win the tournament for a fourth
time. 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 finalon Sunday.
Brazil 2-0 Spain - Neymar 44' by simaotvgolo12
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 dummied 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.
