Brazil Defeat Honduras 3-2 To Reach Semifinals Of Olympics

Brazil earned a scrappy victory to defeat Honduras 3-2 and reach the semifinals of the Olympics, after going behind twice. The Selecao won thanks to two goals by Leandro Damiao and a Neymar penalty kick that Damiao converted. Honduras, meanwhile, earned a red card in the first half through two yellow cards for Cristiano, and a second red card late in the match for Roger Espinoza, who scored Honduras’s second goal. Overall, Brazil should consider themselves lucky to have reached the semifinal although, admittedly, Honduras played highly physical football that deservingly resulted in two red cards that changed the complexion, tempo and atmosphere of the match.

Goals
Honduras: Martinez (12)
Brazil: Damiao (38)
Honduras: Espinoza (48)
Brazil: Neymar (51 | penalty)
Brazil: Damiao (60)

Ronaldinho and Damiao Shine As Brazil Defeat Ghana 1-0

Brazil defeated Ghana 1-0 on Monday at Craven Cottage from a goal by Leandro Damiao, the young Internacional striker in the hottest of form. Although billed as a friendly, the match represented a fierce competition between the South American giants and the 2010 World Cup quarterfinalists, beginning with end to end soccer from both teams that transitioned to a one sided attack by Brazil after Ghana’s Daniel Opare was ejected for a questionable second yellow card in the 33rd minute. The friendly featured a total of 8 yellow cards, two for Brazil, and six for Ghana.

Brazil coach Mano Menezes started with three strikers in the form of Ronaldinho, Leandro Damiao and Neymar. The three strikers played in front of Fernandinho and Elias, who in turn played in front of Lucas Leiva in his traditional defensive midfield position. The other notable addition to his squad was Marcelo in the left back position, starting in lieu of Andre Santos.

Ronaldinho’s return to the Brazilian national team after a ten month absence did wonders for the Selecao as the 2002 World Cup winner added a much needed dose of experience and leadership to the Brazilian front line. Dinho curled in dangerous corners throughout the match and at least a couple of his free kicks almost found the back of the net had it not been for some spectacular goalkeeping by the Ghanaian goalkeeper Kwarasey. Neymar posed problems for the Ghanaian defense by popping up on both the left and right flanks and dribbling from a wide position toward the center of the field.

Leandro Damiao appeared to open the scoring in the 26th minute from an assist by Neymar, but he was rightly deemed offside. Just before half time, the Internacional hit man struck again by latching onto a magnificent through ball from Fernandinho and then dispatching it to the keeper’s right with clinical precision. In the second half, Mano opted to up the ante of his team’s attack by substituting Fernandinho for Hulk, effectively playing four strikers.

Hulk added spice to the attack on the right flank by combining deftly with Elias and Dani Alves but Brazil struggled to break down a Ghanaian team that had gone into a defensive shell after Opare’s ejection. Mano substituted Pato for Damiao late in the match to vary Brazil’s attack further, and the move almost paid dividends when Ronaldinho whipped in a curling ball that Pato headed onto goal only to encounter another remarkable save from Kwarasey in the 85th minute.

Overall, this was a highly encouraging match for Brazil and a disappointing performance by Ghana. The match began with Ghana threatening the Brazilian goal from both flanks but the Black Stars decided to limit the damage after going down to 10 men rather than finding a way to score an equalizer. On Brazil’s side, the match illustrated the enduring brilliance of Ronaldinho, Marcelo’s versatility as a left back, Leandro Damiao’s imposing presence in the box and the mouthwatering potential of a 4-1-2-3 formation. Mano continues to surprise as coach of the Brazilian national team with his squad selections, starting line-ups and substitutions. Brazil now face Argentina in their next international friendly on September 14.

Robinho's Absence From Ghana Friendly Throws Stars Wide Open For Brazil Formation

Robinho will miss Brazil's friendly against Ghana on September 5 due to a groin injury. The injury to the AC Milan striker sets up a constellation of mouthwatering formations for Mano Menezes and the Selecao. Given Robinho's absence, Mano may decide to play a 4-2-2-2 instead of a 4-2-1-3, with Ganso and Ronaldinho behind Neymar and Pato. Another option would be for Mano to stay with his favored 4-2-1-3 formation by dropping Ganso from the starting line-up, and playing Ronaldinho behind Neymar, Hulk and Pato or Neymar, Leandro Damiao and Pato. Alternatively, Mano could retain Ganso in midfield and push Ronaldinho into the center forward position between Neymar and Pato or Neymar and Hulk. A three pronged attack of Neymar, Ronaldinho and Hulk would keep Hulk in the right winger position that he plays at FC Porto.

Here's a summary of the Brazil line-up options, where AMF refers to attacking midfielder and F stands for Forward:

4-2-2-2 formation:

(1) Ganso (AMF), Ronaldinho (AMF), Neymar (F), Pato (F)

4-2-1-3 formation:

(2) Ronaldinho (AMF), Neymar (F), Hulk (F), Pato (F)
(3) Ronaldinho (AMF), Neymar (F), Damiao (F), Pato (F)
(4) Ganso (AMF), Neymar (F), Ronaldinho (F), Hulk (F)
(5) Ganso (AMF), Neymar (F), Ronaldinho (F), Pato (F)

Ronaldinho has been in blistering form for Flamengo of late, scoring goals most recently against Avai, Internacional and Atletico PR. That said, the web is buzzing about Ganso's one touch strike against Sao Paulo this week, in which the youngster played a one two with Alan Kardec to send a sublime left footed rocket into the roof of the net. Add to all this Leandro Damiao's sensational form for Internacional and The Hulk's hunger for a place in the Brazil starting line-up, and it's easy to see how Mano faces a tough set of choices against an attack oriented Ghana team. Ghana's Black Stars may be without striker Asamoah Gyan due to a thigh injury suffered in Friday's Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier against Swaziland.

Brazil v. Netherlands 2011 Friendly: A Preview

Although Brazil play Netherlands in an international friendly on June 4 in Goiania, Brazil, football fans should understand this is anything but a friendly, particularly from Brazil's point of view. The match stakes a tremendous amount of professional pride for the Brazilian national team given their humiliating 2-1 loss to the Dutch in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals last summer. Furthermore, Mano Menezes has yet to demonstrate his ability to win big matches against the best teams in the world. With players like Arjen Robben, Dirk Kuyt and Robin van Persie, the Netherlands rank well within the orbit of France and Argentina, the two teams that handed Mano his only losses as coach of the Selecao. Expect Brazil to attack from the opening whistle and put the Dutch on the defensive through a bevy of early scoring opportunities and conversions. Mano is likely to play one of two formations:

4-3-3: Julio Cesar, Dani Alves, Lucio, Thiago Silva and Andre Santos in defense, Lucas, Ramires and Elias in midfield, and Robinho, Neymar and Leandro Damiao up front.
4-4-2: Julio Cesar, Dani Alves, Lucio, Thiago Silva and Andre Santos in defense, Lucas, Ramires, Elias and Elano in midfield, with Neymar and Robinho up front.

Mano has recently preferred a 4-4-2 so that's we should expect, although everyone would like to see a 4-3-3 or even a 4-2-4 at some point. What's clear is that the back four and Lucas and Ramires are basically pencilled into the starting line-up. From there on, it's anyone's guess although Mano has favored Elias in the past and is likely to leverage the understanding between Elano and Neymar that has carried Santos to the Copa Libertadores final. To win convincingly, Mano needs to win by more than a one goal margin so he will somehow have to open the floodgates for the likes of Neymar, Robinho and Elano to put the ball in the back of the net. In recent interviews, Mano notes that Dani Alves functions as another attacker, so one option would be to pin down Andre Santos and let Alves attack down the right flank to complement Neymar on the far left. Bottom line: expect Brazil to go all out for a convincing win, beginning in the first half, particularly given that the match is played at home.

Neymar's Magic Leads Santos into the Copa Libertadores Round of 16

Neymar's magic led Santos into the round of 16 in the Copa Libertadores where they will now face Mexico's America in the knock-out stages. With their backs to the wall in another must-win match to control their destiny, Neymar, Ganso, Elano, Danilo and company displayed their composure by carving out a 3-1 victory over the Venezeulan side Deportivo Tachira. Playing in Sao Paulo, Santos raced to an early lead thanks to a calmly taken goal by Neymar after receiving a finely threaded through ball from the left flank. Jonathon made it 2-0 for Santos minutes later in the 13th minute with a rocket into the roof of the net from the right flank. Santos then took their foot off the accelerator until Tachira's Gerson Chacon scored from a sublime free kick in the 69th minute to suddenly make matters more complicated by making the score 2-1, one goal away from a 2-2 draw that would fail to guarantee Santos a berth in the next round. But three minutes later, Neymar illustrated once again why he is one of the best strikers in the world by dribbling through a posse of defenders and crossing to Ze Eduardo, who in turn passed to Danilo. Danilo kept his composure in front of goal and hit the bottom right corner of the net to give the Brazilian team a 3-1 lead.

Santos have now notched three consecutive Copa Libertadores victories against Colo Colo, Cerro Porteno and Deportivo Tachira. They finished second place in Group 5 behind Cerro Porteno, who defeated Colo Colo 3-2. Santos and Cerro Porteno earned a total of 11 points while Colo Colo ended up on 9. Santos are now bursting with talent given the likes of Danilo, Leo, Elano, Ganso, Neymar, Danilo and Ze Eduardo all finding their form at the same time. That said, they may face stiff competition from defending champions Internacional and the in form striker Leandro Damiao, who scored yet again for his club in today's 2-0 victory over the Ecuadorian side Emelec.

Neymar Scores Two as Brazil Beats Scotland in Style

Brazil 2-Scotland 0 (Neymar, 42; 77 (penalty))
Venue: Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, London

Brazil beat Scotland 2-0 in a glorious display of samba football that showcased the national team's depth, one touch passing, offensive vision and willingness to play the beautiful game. After withstanding some early pressure in the opening 10 minutes, Brazil burst forward in waves, utilizing both the overlapping fullbacks and the midfield as a source of attack and creative play. Elano's inclusion added spice to the attack as his wicked crosses and corner kicks found the lively Leandro Damiao on a number of occasions in his debut for the Selecao. Damiao narrowly missed converting Elano's assists twice in the first half, and Jadson threatened in the opening twenty minutes as well. Neymar, however, was the star of the show as his dribbling abilities and extraordinary positional awareness gradually began to destabilize the Scottish defense. In the 42nd minute, Andre Santos raced down the left side and found Neymar open in the box. Neymar proceeded to use his defender like a shield in curling the ball into the back of the net in a move reminiscent of the cat like prowess of Romario in the penalty area. Andre Santos, meanwhile, seems to have inherited the role of Roberto Carlos on the left side although he has a couple of years before the 2014 World Cup to master the art of defending.

Neymar threatened again immediately after the break by bursting forward from midfield and hitting the cross bar less than a minute after the half time whistle. The match was replete with high percentage scoring opportunities for Brazil. In the 53rd minute, Ramires skied a ball over the cross bar from a Dani Alves cross. Minutes later, Damiao illustrated his climbing abilities yet again by heading yet another Elano corner just wide. Neymar finally settled things in the 77th minute after one of his dribbling moves resulted in him being brought down in the box and earning a penalty kick for Brazil. The Brazilian number 11 stared at the goalkeeper's right hand side with uncanny composure for a player his age and buried the ball in the same corner of the net for a 2-0 lead that freed coach Mano Menezes to make a bevy of substitutions. The game was marred by a banana thrown onto the pitch following Neymar's penalty in what Brazil has historically understood as a gesture of racism. The banana represents a claim of primitivism about Brazil, particularly when experienced against European opponents on European soil. Roberto Carlos was recently shown a banana in Russia by a fan in one of his first matches for Anzhi, against Zenit, on March 21.

Overall, this was a fantastic result for Brazil, Neymar and for Mano the magician, in particular. We saw the midfield come alive for the first time since Brazil's match against the USA. Jadson, Lucas, Ramires and Elano combined neatly to advance the attack down the center, left and right. Damiao looked like a Brazilian number 9, even though he's clearly not ready to wear Ronaldo's shoes just yet. Neymar is easing into the number 11 jersey and will need to stay fit and put on more muscle to develop into the center forward Brazil desperately needs. Most importantly, the match against Scotland displayed that Brazil can play attacking, creative football without Robinho, Pato, Kaka, Ronaldinho and Maicon. With Paulo Henrique Ganso still recovering his form after a layoff from injury, and the likes of Hernanes, Elias, Casemiro and Lucas of Sao Paulo making their case for a place on the starting 11, the sun is suddenly shining very brightly on the Selecao.

Starting Formation:

Goalkeeper: Julio Cesar
Defense: Andre Santos, Thiago Silva, Lucio, Dani Alves
Midfield: Lucas (Liverpool), Ramires, Jadson, Elano
Strikers: Neymar, Leandro Damiao

Notable jersey numbers:

Neymar: 11
Jadson: 10
Damiao: 9
Elano: 7
Alves: 4
Santos: 6

Pato and Robinho Out of Scotland Friendly: Neymar and Damiao In

Mano Menezes has called up Internacional striker Leandro Damiao for Brazil's upcoming friendly against Scotland given the recent ankle injury sustained by Alexandre Pato in last weekend's match against Palermo. The 19 year old Damiao, who has scored 13 goals this season, represents the latest new face to Mano's roster since the former Corinthians coach took charge of the Selecao last summer. A recent muscle injury to Villareal striker Nilmar means that Damiao may join Neymar up front in what represents one of the most inexperienced strike partnerships Brazil has represented in the past few years. The absence of Pato, Robinho, Nilmar, Ronaldinho and the Hulk presents Scotland with an intriguing challenge for Scotland coach Craig Levein given that Neymar and Damiao have never played together and hence will be difficult to scout. Menezes commented that the selection of Damiao additionally enables him to work with yet another player young enough to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London.

For more on the history of Brazil v. Scotland, see:
Brazil v. Scotland: A Brief World Cup History