First-half goals from Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho and Diego Tardelli saw a Neymar-less Brazil beat Mexico 2-0 in Sao Paulo on Sunday in their first home game since last year’s World Cup finals.
With the Copa America starting this week, Brazil were looking to get into gear for the continental championship by reconnecting with their home fans after an eight-match run of international friendly away wins under coach Dunga.
Dunga, Brazil’s 1994 World Cup-winning skipper, led the five-time world champions to the 2007 Copa America title.
Photo: Reuters
He began a second spell in charge in July last year, replacing Luiz Felipe Scolari, who stepped down following the Auriverde’s World Cup semi-final thrashing by Germany.
Sunday’s game was Brazil’s first back on home soil since losing Scolari’s last match at the helm, 3-0 to the Netherlands in the third-fourth playoff at the World Cup.
With Neymar absent from the encounter in Sao Paulo after his UEFA Champions League-winning exploits with Barcelona in Berlin on Saturday, it was Coutinho who put the hosts on the road to victory to settle a crowd who booed the team early on.
“We knew we would be without Neymar and it was a chance to see how the others would do,” Dunga said.
“Without a doubt, it was important to keep the winning run going in our first home match since the Cup,” added Dunga, admitting that the players and supporters had been a little edgy before the match. “We are on the right track, though we haven’t got anywhere as yet. We must improve day by day, individually and collectively.”
“There were several positives,” he added, notably the blooding of three emerging faces in Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred, AS Monaco defender Fabinho and SS Lazio’s attacking midfielder Felipe Anderson.
Coutinho netted his first international goal on 28 minutes and Shandong Luneng Taishan striker Tardelli bagged the clincher after good work down the left by Elias nine minutes later, before a 35,000-strong crowd at Palmeiras’ new Allianz Parque.
The quick-fire goals swiftly becalmed the fans still smarting from their side’s seven-goal World Cup humiliation by Germany.
Dunga rang the changes after the break as he withdrew both of his scorers, sending on Everton Ribeiro and Roberto Firmino.
Thereafter, Brazil were content to sit on their lead, with Mexico unwilling to chase a lost cause.
“It’s great to get off the mark with my first goal, but we have to keep stepping things up,” Coutinho said.
Brazil face Honduras in their final warm-up game tomorrow, when Neymar is set to return to the fold, before heading to Chile to face Group C rivals Peru, Colombia and Venezuela.
Miguel Herrera’s Mexico, who beat Brazil in the final of the 2012 London Olympics, open their Copa campaign on Friday against minnows Bolivia.
Herrera’s men were without several experienced names, including Carlos Vela, Javier Hernandez and goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who are competing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup rather than the Copa.
Hosts Chile set the Copa America ball rolling against Ecuador on Thursday.
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