Confederations Cup: Brazil, Spain look to serve up a final feast

Italy, Uruguay look to make amends in third-place playoff.

RIO DE JANEIRO:

Fifa President Sepp Blatter has already declared this year’s Confederations Cup, hors d’oeuvre for the World Cup in 12 months time, the best ever as Brazil and world champions Spain prepare to take the final curtain today in Rio.

Brazil starlet Neymar says he can already taste the atmosphere of an historic occasion as the Selecao aim for a third straight crown, and a fourth overall.

With Spain the dominant power of recent years and Brazil the most successful nation in the game’s history, it is small wonder their stars cannot wait to joust at the renovated Maracana stadium, scene of Brazil’s legendary 1970 World Cup win.

“These teams have great tradition and history,” said Neymar as he contemplated the final the purists craved Spain have their stars — and so do Brazil.”

But by beating Japan, Mexico and Italy in the group phase and then showing they can scrap by edging Uruguay in a tough semi, Brazil are rising again after falling to a modest 19^th in the Fifa rankings ahead of the event.

Just as Vicente del Bosque has taken Spain to even greater heights after succeeding Euro 2008 winner Luis Aragones, so Brazil’s ongoing renaissance is down to Luiz Felipe Scolari, architect of a World Cup success in 2002.



Scolari insists this World Cup dress rehearsal is merely an opportunity to see how well he can blend the aces in his pack over the coming year.

“[Spain] have won everything over the past five or six years,” said Scolari. “But we will play our game. We will respect them but we will show our own qualities.”

Meanwhile, Del Bosque says Spain will not be cowed by a partisan crowd or by playing a side whose last competitive home loss was 38 years ago.

“We will seek to impose our kind of game in the Maracana. We are tired for sure but we are dreaming of this final against Brazil. We start even and Sunday [today] is another day.”

Italy, Uruguay seek Confed Cup consolation

After each suffering late heartbreak in the Confederations Cup semi-finals, Italy and Uruguay will attempt to rouse their weary bodies for today’s third-place play-off in steamy Salvador.

Uruguay will start with a distinct physical advantage, their 2-1 loss to Brazil having taken place a full 24 hours before Italy’s stamina-sapping 7-6 penalty shoot-out defeat by Spain in Fortaleza on Thursday.

Given their exertion against Spain, captain Gianluigi Buffon has admitted that the quick turnaround before the Uruguay encounter represents a difficult challenge.

“The final would have been nice,” said the Juventus goal-keeper. “You don’t get to play at the Maracana every day. But now we will give our all against Uruguay, because our holidays have not started yet.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2013.

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