JOHANNESBURG, South Africa: Five-time World Cup winners Brazil opened their South Africa 2010 campaign with a workmanlike 2-1 win over Asian minnows North Korea on Tuesday.Despite an attacking line boasting Kaka and Robinho, the South Americans had to work hard to break down dogged defending as the North Koreans worked tirelessly.
After a resilient first half, the North Korean defence finally cracked as Maicon scored from the tightest of angles before Galatasaray’s Elano made sure of victory with the second goal in the Group G clash.
Boasting impressive ball skills, the Koreans attacked mainly through Jong Tae Se — dubbed the Wayne Rooney of Asia — who tested Brazil ‘keeper Julio Cesar on several occasions and his side was never outplayed.
The North Koreans were finally rewarded for their tireless work with a consolation goal by defender Ji Yun Nam in the 89th minute.
Jong, who sobbed uncontrollably when his country’s national anthem was being played, never stopped working and was left with a bloodied left thigh after one tussle with right-back Maicon in front of a 54,331-strong crowd at Ellis Park.
After a quiet opening half an hour, Brazil stepped up the pace and tested North Korean goalkeeper Ri Myong Guk, but could not get past him.
When the breakthrough finally came it was a piece of vintage Jogo Bonito — the beautiful game — which left Korean goalkeeper Guk howling into the turf.
Elano played on Maicon who fired in his shot across the goal which curled around the near post from a tight angle on 55 minutes.
The Koreans started to show signs of tiring after conceeding the goal and Pak Choi Jin was stretchered off after 69 minutes clutching his calf.
A defence-splitting pass from Robinho on 72 minutes finally broke the Korean resistence as Elano drilled his shot past Guk only to be immediately replaced by Barcelona’s Dani Alves.
With time almost up, Ji finally gave the small group of Korean fans something to cheer about when he smashed his shot past Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar.
Brazil next face Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast on Sunday in Johannesburg, while North Korea take on Portugal in Cape Town on Monday.
A Brazil lineup bursting with global football stars will open their World Cup campaign against a North Korea squad they, and pretty much everyone else, knows very little about.While five-time champions Brazil have won more titles than any country at football’s biggest showcase, North Korea haven’t played in the tournament in more than 40 years and their international isolation is about its only advantage ahead of Tuesday’s (today’s) match at Ellis Park.The unpredictability surrounding the secluded Asian nation is making Brazil wary of an upset like the one the team from the reclusive communist state pulled in 1966, when they beat Italy en route to the quarter-finals in their only previous World Cup appearance.“I don’t know anything about them,” Brazil’s Ramires said on Sunday. “I only watched half of a warmup match they played. We are still waiting for the Brazilian coaches to give us more information about the them.”That is information which may be hard to find considering that the North Korea squad has been mostly secluded from public view and the media at a remote hotel in the northern outskirts of Johannesburg since arriving in South Africa.But North Korean coach Kim Jong-Hun said on Monday he is plotting one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history when his side take on five-time champions Brazil. “Our Group G opponents are very strong,” the 53-year-old told FIFA’s website.“But in football, the best teams don’t necessarily win. We will give it our best. We know we need to win to reach the knockout phase, so no matter who we’re up against, we’ll target the three points.”“We have to respect the Koreans,” Brazil midfielder Elano said. “When we look at history, Brazil may have many more titles than they do, but once the match starts we will need to have the same respect as we would have to any other team.”Brazil have a revamped squad following its disappointing 1-0 loss to France in the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. With few squad changes since he took over, Dunga helped Brazil win the Confederations Cup last year and finish first in South American World Cup qualifying. Brazil also beat Italy, England, Portugal and Argentina in friendlies ahead of the World Cup. “The team is ready,” Robinho said. “The team has been ready for a long time. We are prepared to do well in this World Cup.”Robinho, Kaka and Luis Fabiano highlight the team’s attack, but another strong point this time should be the defence featuring goalkeeper Julio Cesar, Lucio, Juan and Maicon.“We expect to play against defensive opponents, which always causes difficulty, and because its the first game, the anxiety is very great,” said midfielder Gilberto Silva.
Brazil's economy grew at its fastest rate in at least 14 years in the first three months of 2010, official figures have shown.
Its gross domestic product (GDP) surged by 9% compared with the same period a year earlier.
However, higher interest rates and the withdrawal of some tax breaks are expected to cool growth eventually.
Brazil's economy is the largest in Latin America and the eighth-biggest in the world.
Agriculture and industry were among the growth sectors, the government said. 'Confirmation'
Much of Brazil's economy is driven by domestic consumer demand rather than exports - which analysts say means it is relatively insulated from Europe's debt crisis and the projected slow recovery of the US.
"These figures are confirmation of what the market was talking about, a strong first quarter with very strong domestic demand despite the weak external sector," said Pedro Tuesta, senior Latin America economist at research firm 4Cast Inc.
The government said the annual growth was the swiftest pace seen since at least 1996.
Brazil's economy grew by 2.7% on the previous three months - again beating analysts' expectations.
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