Neymar inspired Brazil to a 3-0 win over Japan on Saturday as the
five-time world champions made a perfect start to their bid to clinch
a third successive Confederations Cup title.
Brazil won the competition in 1997, as well as the 2005 and 2009
editions, although their ensuing World Cup performances left much to
be desired.
With next year's World Cup on home soil for the first time since
1950, this year's vintage are bent on winning both tournaments, if
only to send a message out to Pele, who said before Saturday's game
the current squad are not good enough.
Neymar, who has just in the past month switched to Pele's famous but
historically onerous number 10 shirt, lived entirely up to the hype
as he scored a brilliant opening goal after just three minutes to
end a 10-match drought.
He went on to lead the Japanese defence a merry dance before Paulinho
and Jo made the points safe after the break.
A 67,400 crowd, who roundly booed FIFA President Sepp Blatter and
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff beforehand following protests at
the amount of money being spent on sports events, were entranced
after Neymar pulled out a stunning opener.
The new Barcelona star hit a thunderbolt past Japan goalkeeper Eiji
Kawashima after Real Madrid defender Marcelo had crossed languidly
from the left.
Bustling centre forward Fred chested down for Neymar to drill in from
20 metres into the top corner and leave the Asian champions stunned.
Buoyed by that, Brazil moved through the gears and started to boss
the show against a Japanese side they had thrashed 4-0 in their last
meeting, an October friendly in Poland.
Hulk, marauding in a three-pronged attack with Neymar and Fred,
almost made it 2-0 four minutes before the break but his shot found
only the side netting.
Japan skipper Makoto Hasebe resorted to fouling Neymar to stop him
wreaking further havoc in first-half injury-time, duly earning a
booking from Portuguese referee Pedro Proenca.
Japan skipper Makoto Hasebe resorted to fouling Neymar to stop him
wreaking further havoc in first-half injury-time, duly earning a
booking from Portuguese referee Pedro Proenca.
If Alberto Zaccheroni's Japanese, who included in their ranks a raft
of Europe-based talent including Manchester United star Shinji
Kagawa and CSKA Moscow's Keisuke Honda, hoped they had weathered the
storm in limiting the damage to one goal at the break they were to
be soon disabused.
There were three minutes on the second-half clock when attacking
full-back Dani Alves slung over a perfectly weighted pass for
Paulinho to hit a low drive that Kawashima could only help into the
roof of his net.
Japan desperately sought to respond, Shinji Okazaki of Stuttgart
firing wide before Zaccheroni made his first change on 50 minutes,
sending on Ryoichi Maeda in place of Hiroshi Kiyotake, moving
Okazaki out to the right with Maeda in a more central role.
Maeda brought a smart stop from Julio Cesar in the Brazil goal on
entering the fray.
He then tried a left-footer which the Queens Park Rangers
shot-stopper smothered well after Honda, who scored the penalty
against Australia which saw Japan become the first country to seal
World Cup qualification just prior to coming to Brazil, had a
free-kick charged down.
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari then decided Neymar had done
sufficient work and withdrew the starlet with 20 minutes remaining
for Paris Saint Germain winger Lucas and also withdrew Hulk for
Lazio midfielder Hernanes.
There was still time for substitute Jo of Atletico Mineiro to hit the
third through the keeper's legs after running onto Oscar's superb
through ball in the third minute of injury-time.
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