Brazil Wins Confederations Cup Final Against Spain

Brazil Wins Confederations Cup Final Against Spain

The Confederations Cup final saw Brazil defeating Spain in a match-up of two of the best soccer countries in the world.

The 3-0 win of Brazil enhanced the confidence of the country as it prepares for the World Cup, which it will host next year. Fred scored a pair of goals while the third goal came from Neymar.

The win extends the streak of Brazil, which has not lost a competitive match at home since 1975.On the other hand, the loss of Spain was its first loss in a competitive game ever since its opener during the 2010 World Cup against Switzerland.

The Confederations Cup win will likely increase the FIFA ranking of Brazil, which is currently 22nd in the world. In comparison, Spain has been the top team in the rankings in the last twenty months. Spain is the defending champion in the World Cup, which will be held in the same stadium next year.

Spain, which was unbeaten in its last 26 matches, has not faced Brazil ever since an exhibition match in 1999. The last competitive match between the two teams was in the 1986 World Cup, which was held in Mexico.

Brazil scored its first goal in the Confederations Cup final in the second minute when Fred shot the ball into the goal while lying on the ground. The lead was doubled after an exchange of passes between Neymar and Oscar before Neymar sent the ball to the back of the net.

The last goal of the match came courtesy of Fred, who sent it low against goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Spain had a number of scoring chances with the best one coming from Pedro Rodriguez who beat the Julio Cesar, the goalkeeper of Brazil with a low shot. However, it was saved by David Luis, who deflected the ball before it went past the goal line.

Even as the Confederations Cup final was played inside the Maracana Stadium, police had to deal with anti-government protestors outside the stadium.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Monday July 01 2013, 4:48 AM EST. Ref: CBC. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0