Confederations Cup - Brazil comeback wins Cup

Eurosport - Mon, 29 Jun 14:30:00 2009

A stunning second-half comeback from Brazil gave them a 3-2 victory in the Confederations Cup final against a brave USA side in Johannesburg.

FOOTBALL Brazil Confederations Cup - 0

USA raced into a first-half lead through Clint Dempsey in the 10th minute to stun their more illustrious opponents, and a further shock was to be inflicted at a packed Ellis Park Stadium.

Landon Donavon coolly finished off a swift counter-attack from Charlie Davies in the 27th minute to double his side's lead, and leave Brazil's players and supporters utterly bewildered.

The second half was one-way traffic, as Brazil continued to pour pressure on their opponents with unrelenting waves of attacks, and Dunga's side got their eventual rewards.

A clinical finish from Luis Fabiano in the first minute of the second half gave his side the momentum they needed, and although a Kaka headed goal was wrongly adjudged to have not crossed the line, it did little to stifle their conviction.

Fabiano converted the rebound from Robinho's fierce shot in the 74th minute, which thundered off the crossbar, to prompt a double-defensive change from USA coach Bob Bradley.

As Brazil showered their opponent's box with crosses, it seemed that Fabiano's hat-trick may have been imminent, but it was the gangly defender Lucio who powered a headed winner with six minutes left from Elano's corner.

The match was officially dedicated by FIFA to Marc-Vivien Foe, who tragically died at the 2003 Confederations Cup in France at the semi-final stage playing for Cameroon, with both sets of players involved in the tributes.

Brazil dominated the early possession with Kaka a prominent presence in the side's attacks, and Robinho marauding down the left wing to test Jonathan Spector.

For all their attacking potency, Dunga's side looked hesitant and indecisive at the back, and USA capitalised in the tenth minute.

Spector escaped the shackles of the lightweight Andre Santos and whipped a cross into the penalty area from the right, and Dempsey stole into score his third goal in five appearances with a glancing touch to beat Julio Cesar at his far post.

Two minutes later, a delightful turn from Kaka on halfway released Robinho down the left, and the forward takes his shot early curling it to the far corner, but Tim Howard dived low to his right to tip the ball away.

At the other end, USA forward Charlie Davies bustled down the right wing, and his powerful run was hampered by a challenge from Gilberto, but to his credit the forward stayed on his feet when he could easily have gone down.

USA found themselves firmly under the cosh, but they broke through the pace of Donovan, and he finished with terrific composure to give his side the lead after Davies had slipped the ball through to him in the 27th minute.

Brazil were undeterred in their gung-ho approach, and Robinho released Andre Santos, who instead of cutting the ball back from the by-line attempted a shot from a tight angle, with Howard making a sharp.

Dunga was looking for a reaction in the second half from his underperforming Brazil side, and they responded in emphatic fashion.

Luis Fabiano received a delightful ball from Maicon and the striker swivelled and turned Jay De Merit, before firing past Howard to ignite his side's recovery in the opening minute of the half.

Kaka was then denied an equaliser after he stole in at the back post to meet a cross from Robinho with a downward header, and as Howard parried it away, replays suggested the ball had crossed the line.

Brazil, to their credit, did not let that injustice rattle them, and in the 74th minute Fabiano pounced to level the scores from close range after Robinho saw his initial shot cannon off the crossbar.

Despite USA defending stoutly, with Oguchi Onyewu again superb, Brazil always looked like sealing victory with their momentum unabating.

A deep corner from Elano was met by an imperious leap from centre-back Lucio, who beat Dempsey to the ball and powered the ball home with his head to clinch victory for his side.

Kaka was awarded the Golden Ball accolade for his performances throughout the tournament, with Brazil collecting their third Confederations Cup triumph.

Dan Quarrell / Eurosport

Comment 160 - 179 of 179

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  1. IT IS THE US AND A.................

    From chelseaboy, on Tue 4 Aug 4:33PM

  2. hey 169, American football is way more rough than­ rugby. I would like to see you call any of the players­ in the NFL wimps to their faces. You would even get­ your @#$% stomped by the kickers and punters.

    From Shaka, on Tue 30 Jun 4:04PM

  3. I can't believe the UAS lost to a @#$% team like­ brazil,

    USA will win the World Cup next year

    From Shaka, on Tue 30 Jun 3:59PM

  4. They just had great luck that's all :@ they barely­ defeated South Africa if D.Alves hadn't came in the­ 2nd half and scored that F.K. Brazil wouldn't have­ won it :@ so yeah that was luck and they barely­ defeated USA too luckily they came behind because they­ were losing 2-0 and in the end was 3-2 and of course­ that game was played on extra time so it's all­ clear DUNGA was incredibly lucky because he haven't­ put the best players in the team,the players like­ DIEGO RIBAS(who is the best midfielder except KAKA of­ course),MAXWELL(the great left back who is wayyy better­ than that santos guy),VAGNER LOVE WERE MISSING and pato­ didn't played in 1st team pity but they have won it­ that's what matters the most.

    From SasaS, on Mon 29 Jun 11:49PM

  5. "Fabiano converted the rebound from Robinho's­ fierce shot in the 74th minute"

    It was­ Elano's shot that hit the crossbar, not­ Robinho's.

    From E, on Mon 29 Jun 6:21PM

  6. briliant brazil do it again, they showed their worth in­ the final, they went down 2-0 but they didnt give up­ and they powered through to the win, and kaka showed us­ a glimpse of what he can really do, should be a­ briliant match should england come up against them in­ the world cup.

    From chris.shaw47, on Mon 29 Jun 5:55PM

  7. Brazil did well. But I know they can do better. To­ Dunga, I would like to suggest that more could actually­ have been achieved by this team. You cannot be content­ with such a performance when you have such great­ players. Surely you can do better. Do not be content­ just because you bit the US and South Africa! This team­ should have walloped these teams hands down. Dunga - we­ demand more from you. I will not jump to the conclusion­ that you are not the right man for the job. But I warn­ that these performances do not at all dispell such­ sentiments. Brazil should have walloped those teams­ with the arsenal they have!

    One last thing - I know­ that there is someone better than Ramires for that­ position - please lets have a better player. Ramires is­ a good player but you must the best you have to get the­ best reslt.

    From simbarashebuhlungu, on Mon 29 Jun 3:07PM

  8. My previous posts were cut because too long so i want­ to add a 3rd part to axplain two things more.
    In­ Spain, 1982, Italy has been even more glorious then­ ever, especially considering the lack of trust the­ Italian team had internationally and, most of all, in­ Italy where the now famous attacks of the sport press­ {attacks to Berlusconi are different stuff but­ let's keep politics out of the pitch, I know you­ agree} the team received in Italy, I want to remind you­ they were in press silence for the time of the whole­ championship. In other words... just be prepared to­ anything because that's Football, anmd that's­ its magic. Greece didn't win against any pronostic­ and expectation? And Sweden several European­ Championship. Wasn't that magic?
    USA yesterday­ proved the world and, most of all and most important,­ they proved to themselves what they can do in football­ with sacrifice, effort and that selfconfidence you need­ to win in any sport as much in life! Once again... look­ at Donovan's score... I saw the brazilians cut in­ two by passages which reminded me of basket {that's­ the ,magic of football also, its fascination on­ millions people all around the world... football can be­ many sports in one...and who can be best that a Nation­ like USA which made of that a value and a culture of­ Sports?} in which just few players can be match winners­ by themselves but always under the schemes of their­ tactics. That score was the best example of how I look­ at football, that's the way the best and more­ effective football can make you win. A game where­ individuals with talent come to the spotlight by the­ efforts of all the team.
    I have great trust on USA­ football, I believe they will have the courage to­ delete the word "soccer" and proudly use the­ word Football in their vocabulary. Whoever seriously­ believes USA won't EVER win a fooltball worldwide­ championship is just a fool or stupid or maybe just too­ much scared of what USA can be in fo

    From Anima Creativa, on Mon 29 Jun 2:51PM

  9. Delighted for GILBERTO SILVA ....a wonderful player­ ..so underrated its unbelievable.This guy is such a­ humble decent human being ,who is a credit to his­ country and his family....How Arsenal let him go last­ season is now even more baffling.......continued­ success to this great player .

    From johnquinnauctioneers, on Mon 29 Jun 1:42PM

  10. I am not a fun of either but Brazil is not the best if­ USA can mantain the tempo they started with they will a­ team to beat in world cup. it a complete talented taem­ and Brazil is a collection of individual talents.

    Rek

    From kiganda, on Mon 29 Jun 1:40PM
  11. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    AH SEES VIJAY SANG AS GETTAN MORRIED TAE NACK FOLDAS­ AULD CODDY FONNY SANNASAN . .

    AS GOAN TAE MAKE HAR­ FONNY SANG

    From JEEMS, on Mon 29 Jun 1:29PM
  12. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    [...] and do you know guys why we did it? Not because­ we simply "make it better"... but just­ because we put together feet and heart as few nations­ can do and the number of cups we won speak for us­ together with the other matter matter of fact... we­ always win just when we are not favourites {we were in­ 1990 but we found Caniggia's head and an idiot of a­ goalkeeper who let him hit us down in semifinals, at­ home... you british certainly remember we did beat you­ for the 3rd place with a stunning game were you have­ shown up something other countries don't have...­ the best "fair play", even if that fair play­ comes from a deeper and arrogant feeling sometimes, the­ feeling of considering yourselves the best anyway but I­ tell you, that's part of the being supporters, your­ fair play remains untouchable... you learned the lesson­ after the hooligan-shame which you managed to get rid­ of}.
    We were someway favourite in he USA when we lost­ the final with Brazil for a mistake at the final­ penalty by Roberto Baggio... who was the one who gave­ us the final {with an impressive push which made him­ worth of the name as one of the best players of all­ times in terms of ability and beauty of the play} and­ took it away at the same time like in the worse of the­ curses which always tried to knock him down like when­ his legs went broken so many times that we can easily­ talk about "resurrection" {if Van Basten had­ the same luck maybe we could talk about an even more­ different story} of the man and the player. These are­ matter of fact.
    USA has the same quality inside. Are­ team-makers, are able to crate athletes which pursue­ the best results more than others, they have strategic­ view, they can be well organized as few nations can be­ and their results in all sports speak clearly in that­ direction. Football wasn't their culture but they­ are improving dramatically by playing in European­ teams. Take Donovan's score yesterday: 3 touches to­ serve him

    From Anima Creativa, on Mon 29 Jun 1:13PM

  13. That's true, some teams show progress but there are­ traditions in football which can't be broken,­ Brazil, Argentina,Italy, Germany will always be­ favourites. USA can do a surprise (like Greece in­ 2004)sometimes but they won't become a world power­ just because they prefer american football.
    By the­ way, if some Croatian is reading here their national­ team was called"a bunch of goat herders"­ (!)in one of the pro-US posts...An example of­ "tolerance" and "non-racism"...

    From bogi_81_81, on Mon 29 Jun 1:05PM

  14. 176, we will see. I doubt USA will EVER win the World­ Cup...or as you guys prob call it, the World Series­ Soccer! Stick to @#$% sports like US football­ (interestingly named yet you hardly use your­ feet??)...and what with those helmets and pads?? you­ dont see rugby players or australian/gaeliec­ footballers needing pads, is it cos you is all wimps??

    From Koppite 1973, on Mon 29 Jun 12:58PM

  15. AH WIZ HAVAN A GUD SPRAF WI SAM PALS IN ANATHAR FORAM­ OND THON BOSTARDS CHENGED AT

    YAHOO BOSTARDS

    From JEEMS, on Mon 29 Jun 12:47PM

  16. Plz,if you come across any other footballer who is a­ great embodiment of such great conduct as Kaka,let me­ know. This guy's got the humility and­ everything(for sure) will continue to work well for­ those who trust the Lord. What's left to be won by­ this guy? And come to think of it,arent there better­ players-skillful,dribblers... around the globe,but this­ guy will keep getting it all.
    However,i believed­ Donovan should have gotten the bronze ball.He did great­ all through. I BELIEVE IN JESUS!

    From dimeji d, on Mon 29 Jun 12:28PM
  17. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    USA will win a Worldwide Championship soon, not in the­ 2010 maybe not in the 2014 but I hey... tell you­ guys... it's a matter of fact that US are together­ with China the Country with the records as winning­ games in all sports {think about Olympics} just because­ USA are sport culture, that's a matter of fact. And­ China, let me put the right dots on the right letters,­ are winners mostly in "one-man's sports"­ just because they are a champions-making machine which­ can have result in individual games most of all, is­ harder to find them successful as teams apart rare­ exceptions.
    USA are totally different and a lot better­ in terms of achievements considering their force­ {China...easy to make a champion having a population­ like that, it's just like making robots!} in­ individual as much as in team sports. You wonder why?­ I'm a proud suppoerter of the US football team­ since many years by now and they are never­ disappointing me. Now you may believe I'm a dull­ american who doesn't even know about kicking a ball­ in soccer. Well...sorry to disappoint you fellas...­ I'm Italian a proud Italian. And I end telling you­ more... you really think Italy is out of the run for­ the next WC? Fools! I tell you...mind your words and­ just wait for next year, wait to see what will happen­ in Italy at next season and you will see the power of­ my Country as "football-champions maker"...­ we have the most talented young players in the world­ {see the Under21 successes in the last decade} today­ and only because you dont see them in many­ international teams is just because they prefer to stay­ home where the national championship is and remains the­ best as difficulty and fascination. You saw many of­ them in this Confederation Cup and you still saw­ nothing. Italy is experimenting, is taking its measure­ of all of you. We were not meant to be champions in­ Germany but we won against any expectation showing off­ our pride and team force. Just like in Spain &

    From Anima Creativa, on Mon 29 Jun 12:15PM

  18. Post # 171 you are so right, I had goose bumps seeing­ them kneeling down in a circle praying, praising and­ thanking Jesus, our Lord, for their achievement and­ joy. It is so wonderful to see so many Christian­ prayers showing to the world that their hearts, bodies­ and soul belong to Jesus, and I say AMEN, praise the­ Lord with all my soul...

    From ciliamaximo_30, on Mon 29 Jun 11:33AM

  19. MUSSES MECCANN WIZ A GUD WEE WEMON LEST NITE. OND THAS­ MARNAN TILL WEE BUSTARDS WOKE OP OND RUINED AT

    From JEEMS, on Mon 29 Jun 10:12AM

  20. Madiba Magic = wining 1 match

    Obama Magic =wining 2­ matches

    I BELONG TO JESUS =5 matches and winning the­ Cup.

    How humbling when you see KAKA 68million Euros­ earning 28years old handsome young man, proudly­ proclaims to the World I BELONG TO JESUS. He has the­ Money, the looks and the fame yet how many in his shoes­ will fulfill Deut 8:18. I was just thinking the­ football field is probably one of the most characters­ testing place. the players are constantly under­ pressure, I can only imagine the number of frustrating­ moments they get tempted to exhibit all sorts of­ emotions and vengeful actions, but he has constantly­ remain calm.

    Go Jesus Go Jesus GO.

    From Oyinyechi, on Mon 29 Jun 9:56AM
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