FIFA World Cup hosts Brazil strolled to a 4-0 win over Panama in their penultimate tournament warm-up on Tuesday, with goals from Neymar, Daniel Alves, Hulk and Willian securing a resounding win that nevertheless barely satisfied coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.
After a tentative opening, the Selecao easily saw off their opponents as Barcelona’s Neymar set the ball rolling with his 31st international goal, a rifling in a free-kick on the half hour.
Alves drove in the second five minutes before the interval and a cheeky Neymar back-heel was enough to pave the way for Zenit St Petersburg’s Hulk to dispatch the third early in the second period before Chelsea winger Willian put the icing on the cake 17 minutes from time.
Photo: AFP
With only tomorrow’s friendly against Serbia to come before Brazil meet Croatia in their World Cup opener in Sao Paulo on Thursday next week, 2002 title-winning coach Scolari seized the chance to use several second-string players.
Afterward, he said there was room for further improvement.
“I am still concerned. We are getting better, but we know we have a fair way to go,” said the man who lifted Brazil’s fifth Cup in Japan 12 years ago and who now wants to deliver the Selecao’s first title on home soil. “The run out was worthwhile, but we must up our rhythm and be a lot better for the Croatia game.”
Photo: AFP
Scolari said the opening minutes of Tuesday’s game concerned him.
“We were a bit off beam in the opening minutes and it could have been different had we been playing a superior opponent. Afterward, we improved,” the Brazil coach said.
With Neymar scoring one and making two, but also earning a yellow card, Scolari said of the star striker: “Everyone knows Neymar’s talent, but he always comes up with something new to surprise.”
Scolari added that with the forward having missed a chunk of Barcelona’s run-in to the end of their La Liga campaign through injury he planned to give the 22-year-old another full 90 minutes against Serbia.
Neymar was also in the spotlight off the pitch on Tuesday, albeit in a less flattering light, after a Spanish judge cited former Barca president Sandro Rosell as a tax crime suspect over the club’s 86 million euro (US$117 million) signing of the Brazil international.
Judge Pablo Ruz of Madrid’s National Court issued a summons for Rosell and Barcelona to appear as suspects on Friday next week.
Spain’s tax office lost out on up to 11.8 million euros in the deal for Neymar, the summons showed. A report from the office cited by the judge listed lost revenues of 2.4 million euros in 2011, 6.8 million euros last year and as much as 2.6 million euros this year.
Ruz also summoned Barcelona’s auditors, Deloitte, to testify as witnesses on the same day.
Rosell resigned from his post in January after facing legal action over alleged misappropriation of funds for not disclosing the destination of all the money spent on bringing Neymar to the Spanish giants last summer.
Barca then gave the figures and clauses in the deal, which totaled 86.2 million euros, far above the 57 million euros they had originally announced.
As a result, the club was indicted for alleged tax fraud and made a voluntary tax payment of 13.5 million euros in February, despite continuing to maintain their innocence. The Catalan side say they are confident of getting that money back.
In April, La Liga said it believed there was nothing irregular about the Neymar signing.
The Neymar transfer case was started by one of Barca’s own members, Jordi Cases.
He accused Rosell of misappropriation for not declaring publicly that 40 million of the 57.1 million figure initially quoted by Barca was paid to N&N, a company controlled by the player’s parents.
Neymar’s unconvincing first season with Barca has thrown up questions over whether he is ready to lead Brazil to World Cup glory.
“This is Neymar’s first World Cup and nobody knows exactly what is going to happen. It is a big responsibility for him,” Brazil legend Pele said in a recent interview.
The negative headlines surrounding his transfer have not helped, but nevertheless, Neymar is carrying the hopes of 200 million Brazilians on his shoulders as the host nation attempt to win a sixth World Cup.
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena last night. “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
TWO IN A WEEK: Despite an undefeated start to the year playing alongside Jiang Xinyu of China, Wu Fang-hsien is to play the Australian Open with a Russian partner Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday triumphed at the Hobart International, winning the women’s doubles title at the US$275,094 outdoor hard-court tournament, while McCartney Kessler lifted the trophy in the women’s singles. Fourth-ranked Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China took 1 hour, 15 minutes to defeat Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar of Hungary, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, their second title in a week. Wu and Jiang on Sunday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US. Their winning ways continued in Australia as they stretched
EL CLASSICO: La Liga champions Real Madrid would face Barcelona in the Super Cup final tomorrow. Barça secured their final spot after a 2-0 win over Bilbao on Wednesday Real Madrid would chase a record-equaling 14th Spanish Super Cup title in the final against Barcelona after second-half goals by Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo helped them to a 3-0 win over Mallorca in the semi-finals on Thursday. England midfielder Bellingham broke the deadlock after the hour mark with a low shot into the middle of the goal before Mallorca defender Martin Valjent’s own goal doubled the lead in stoppage time followed by a Rodrygo strike from close range. Spanish champions Real are to play Barcelona for the trophy tomorrow after goals by Gavi and Lamine Yamal earned Barça a 2-0 win over
RSS