Brazil crushes U.S. 10-6 in beach soccer World Cup

Brazil battered the United States 10-6 on Tuesday to make it to the quarter-finals of the beach soccer World Cup held on the Copacabana Beach in Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil tops Group A, with nine points, after crushing Poland 9-2 and bludgeoning Japan 10-2.

Brazil's next game will be Thursday against Canada, which finished second in Group B.

Even though Brazil came only third in 2005 competition - which France won - Brazil is the favorite to win this year's tournament.

Brazil opened scoring with a Junior Negao goal and his teammate Benjamin scored three more before the end of the half.

With a strong lead established, Brazil manager Alexandre Soares sent reserves onto the field.

The U.S. had a better time in the second half, with Brazilian-born U.S. player Xexeo scoring repeatedly for his team. However, Brazil remained on top, ending the segment 9-5.

In the final third, U.S. player Taquino scored his team's sixth and last goal from a header, while Betinho scored his team's 10th.

Despite the win, Soares publicly criticized his pupils. "I told them that they were losing concentration. We slipped up in some moments of this game, especially in marking," he told media. He added that Brazil could not afford lapse in the next knockout phase of the competition.

Source: Xinhua