Brazil on Sunday became the outright record winners of the FIFA Confederations Cup by sinking North American champions the United States 3-2 here.
It was the third time for A Selecao to gain the trophy after its victory in 1997 and 2005. That enabled Brazil to surpass the record of two Confederations Cup champion titles shared by France and itself.
For the United States, it was also a historic mark as it was the first time for the country to sail into a world final.
With the passion of over 50,000 spectators, the Yanks' cohesive attacking style proved that it was not a coincidence that they can make the breakthrough in the intercontinental tournament.
As Brazil was still mulling over the attacking strategies patiently, Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey received the cross from defender Jonathan Spector on the right wing and made the ball sliding into the far left corner of the net in the 10th minute, notching the opener for the Stars and Stripes.
The goal spurred A Selecao to unleash attack waves, but that only led to less coordination among the players in crossing. U.S. forward Landon Donavon kicked off a swift counter-attack in the 27th minute to double his side's lead.
Brazil seemed to enlighten itself in the second half and unrelentingly mounted pressure on the U.S. side. With just one minute after the break, Luis Fabiano received the pass from Maicon and fired past U.S. goal keeper Tim Howard, boosting the morale of A Selecao to a great extent.
The equalizer came in 74th minute as Kaka slided the ball across to Machester City forward Robinho. Sevilla FC striker Luis Fabiano slot the ball home finally after Robinho's shot hit the crossbar and bounded back.
With six minutes left, centre-back Lucio's header from Elano's corner before the net sealed a perfect end to the Brazilian's rush to the trophy.
Among the three teams which enjoyed higher FIFA world rankings in the Confederations Cup, only Brazil with the lowest ranking survived into the final.
The sea of Brazilian national flags waved by soccer fans in the Elis Park Stadium testified the zeal and tradition of football deeply ingrained in the life an culture of the South American country. A Selecao has won an unprecedented five FIFA World Cups.
U.S. coach Bob Bradley told the press conference after the match that he was disappointed about the result, considering it as a difficulty loss. He said the Stars and Stripes had also accumulated precious experience against great teams.
"Brazil has done a great job. The United States gained confidence through the match. We know now that we are also able to go against best teams," said Bradley.
For the first goal of Brazil within the first minutes after the interval, the coach said Fabiano showed quick turn and had idea and organization. That was the players like him making Brazil Brazil.
Bradley praised his striker Donovan as an excellent player. "Donovan has displayed commitment to every game. His mobility, pure competitiveness shone throughout the tournament," said Bradley.
Brazilian coach Dunga hailed his team as committed with players of high quality and high standard, vowing the squad would do much more in the future.
"The players did not give up but were committed. As a coach, I think every game is difficult. We lacked good positioning before the interval, but we corrected them in the second half," said Dunga.
Through the triumph, Dunga also became the first person to win the intercontinental tournament as a player and a coach.
Source: Xinhua
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