Brazil 2014 Qualification Results

Yesterday's results

Friendlies Report

Spain 5-0 Saudi Arabia

Villa nets comeback goal in thumping friendly win

The forward tucked away a penalty in his first game for his country since returning from a broken leg, but it was his Barcelona team-mate Pedro who stole the show with two goals

Spain warmed up for their opening 2014 World Cup qualifier with a predictably facile 5-0 friendly win over Saudi Arabia on Friday night.

Santi Cazorla opened the scoring and Pedro doubled the home side's advantage soon after. Substitute Xavi netted a third two minutes into the second half before Barcelona team-mate David Villa announced his return to the international arena by converting a penalty shortly after entering the fray.

Pedro then put the seal on an impressive individual display when he tucked away a terrific through-ball from David Silva with 17 minutes remaining.

The reigning world and two-time European champions, who take their first step on the road to Rio against Georgia next week, fielded an experimental starting lineup, with Xavi and Andres Iniesta among those named on the bench. However, La Roja still had far too much class for a game but limited Saudi Arabia side.

Indeed, the only surprise was that it took so long for them to break the deadlock, although that was primarily down to Fernando Torres' wayward finishing, the Chelsea man, who was making his 100th appearances for his country, wasting two fine through-balls inside the opening 10 minutes.

As it was, it was left to another member of Spain's Premier League contingent, Cazorla, to open the scoring, the Arsenal schemer tapping home from close range after Waleed Abdullah could only parry a shot from Pedro.

The latter made no mistake five minutes later, finding the back of the net with a delightful chip just moments after Nasser Al-Shamrani had gone close with a header for the visitors.

Cazorla, who had teed up Pedro for the second, then very nearly conjured a third goal for the home side but his sublime curling effort cruelly came back off the woodwork.

Still, Spain did put the outcome beyond all doubt when Xavi, who had replaced Cesc Fabregas during the interval, found the top corner with a free-kick that saw the ball not only find its way past Abdullah - but also through a hole in the net.

The game now won, La Roja boss decided to make more changes and substitute Villa, who has only just recovered from the horrific leg break he suffered last December, made it 4-0 from the penalty spot, after Sayyaf Al-Beeshi had felled Monreal in the area.

Pedro then heaped further misery on the beleaguered Saudis when he latched onto a defence-splitting pass from David Silva before coolly dinking the ball over Abdullah, putting himself in real contention for a starting berth in Tuesday's Group I clash with Georgia in Tbilisi.

Brazil 1-0 South Africa

Hulk strikes but Selecao fail to convince

The recently-acquired Zenit St Petersburg forward decided the game with a thumping 74th minute strike but it did little to paper over the cracks of a lacklustre Selecao display

Brazil left it late to break down a resilient South Africa side and secure a 1-0 win in their first game on home soil in over a year at the Morumbi.

It was a tumultuous return to his native country for Mano Menezes as his side's performance left the home fans disgruntled and frustrated for large parts. However, when Hulk drilled in an effort after 74 minutes there was a collective sigh of relief to ease the pressure on the coach somewhat.

In a match that Brazil were largely expected to dominate, it came as a surprise when South Africa forged the first opportunity of the game in the 12th minute. Siboniso Gaxa pushed forward down the right and got in behind Marcelo after a one-two with Dino Ndlovu. He attacked the goal unopposed but his shot lacked conviction and Diego Alves saved.

The Selecao responded well and five minutes later they tested the opposing keeper from a set piece. Neymar's delivery from deep was met by a powerful header from Dede but he put it straight down the middle and Itumeleng Khune turned the ball behind.

The Bafana Bafana were giving a good account of themselves with a physical display dampening the atmosphere on Brazil's Independence day. After wayward efforts from Oscar and Neymar, it was not until the 34th minute that Khune was forced to work again as he kept out Lucas Moura's powerful strike, albeit unorthodoxly.

But there was nothing unconventional about the keeper's next stop. Neymar sprung the offside trap and  latched onto Dani Alves' through ball but he failed to put his shot either side of Khune who stayed big to deny the Santos youngster.

Greeted by boos and calls for Menezes' head at half time and things did not get much better after the restart. Lerato Chabangu lashed an effort narrowly over the bar and was only denied a tap-in by a goal-line clearance from Dede moments later after some terrific work by substitute Bernard Parker.

There were signs of life from Brazil as Leandro Damiao and Neymar fired efforts at goal but they were warned against over-comitting as Parker's drilled effort scraped the bar on the hour mark.

Menezes made a number of changes in an attempt to alter the momentum of the game which was increasingly swaying towards the confident South Africans. 

One of those substitutions saw the introduction of Hulk and from a free kick he won, Neymar saw a spectacular free kick clawed away from the top corner by the impressive Khune.

However, the keeper was finally beaten five minutes later, much to the relief of the home crowd. Despite making a brilliant stop from David Luiz's initial effort from an acute angle, the rebound fell to Hulk and the Zenit St Petersburg forward rifled a volley into the back of the net.

Neymar came close to adding another moments later but with his header from Hulk's cross shaping up to go wide, the keeper gave it an extra touch just to make sure.

Nevertheless the Selecao saw out the game but their fans will be upset with such a poor showing on their retun home which they voiced with more boos at the final whistle. Gordon Igesund, however, can take pride in the performance of his South Africa side in his first game in charge.

Source: goal.com

Results of the Qualification World Cup 2014

Here are the results from all the countries that played yesterday - 7 September for the Qualifcation for the World Cup 2014 in Brazil

2 Highlight games

Argentina 3-1 Paraguay

Messi stunner seals victory for Albiceleste

The Barcelona star netted a glorious free kick as Sabella's men took first place in World Cup qualifying, piling further misery on their underachieving neighbours

Argentina maintained their perfect record in 2012 with a victory over Paraguay on Friday night that took them top of the Conmebol race to the 2014 World Cup ahead of closest challengers Chile and Ecuador. 

Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain and Lionel Messi were all on target for the Albiceleste in a comfortable if not entirely convincing triumph, while Paraguay's sole strike came from the penalty spot via Jonathan Fabbro. 

he Argentina team came out in the Estadio Mario Kempes knowing that, thanks to Uruguay's 4-0 defeat to Colombia, a win would put them top of the World Cup qualifying standings. 

Inspired by Ezequiel Lavezzi, they wasted no time in taking the initiative. The Paris Saint-Germain man did well to hold up the ball on the right-hand side and his cross, after several unfortunate deflections for the Guarani, landed at the feet of Di Maria who curled the ball past Justo Villar. After just two minutes, Alejandro Sabella's side were on top. 

Despite the early lead, the Albiceleste were struggling against a Paraguay outfit determined to disrupt play by fair means or foul. And the visitors would find their way back into the game in bizarre circumstances. Rodrigo Brana inexplicably handled in the area from a cross under absolutely no pressure, and naturalised Argentine Fabbro gleefully converted with class to level the game for his adopted nation. 

The game continued in a disjointed fashion, as the hosts struggled to find their rhythm in the face of fierce tackling that brought 12 fouls and two bookings in the first half alone. It took another stroke of good fortune for Argentina to retake the lead. 

A horribly-sliced clearance from Jonathan Ortiz fell straight into the path of Higuain, who was in exactly the right place to pick up the ball. The Real Madrid man still had a lot to do, but finished with aplomb across the body of Villar to restore the advantage in Cordoba. Lionel Messi almost extended the advantage with a free kick that struck the post, but despite their lead the South American giants were far from their best in the opening 45 minutes. 

Messi immediately brought the Kempes crowd to full voice two minutes into the second half with an individual piece of magic that deserved a goal. The Barcelona maestro effortlessly skipped past three defenders to go one-on-one with Villar, but his chipped finish hit the post, to the groans of the local support. 

It was the second time the woodwork had denied 'La Pulga' as he sought to add to his eight international goals harvested so far in 2012. At the other end, Romero also had to be alert, saving low from Victor Ayala after the Lanus man tried his luck from a long-range set-piece. 

After that early flurry of activity, the game settled down into a low-key rhythm. Argentina rarely looked like surrendering their lead, but despite the efforts of Lavezzi and Di Maria, who worked tirelessly, there appeared little prospect of adding to the tally. Where Messi is, however, goals are usually not too far away. 

The little wizard once more found the post with a wickedly swerving free kick, but this time the ball struck the inside of the woodwork and nestled safely inside the net, taking his tally to an incredible nine in five games this year. Coming 20 minutes into the second half, the strike gave Argentina a decisive cushion as they looked to overtake Chile at the top of the table. 

Victor Caceres would see a late header ruled out correctly for offside, but there was no way back for Paraguay, who slumped to their fourth qualifying defeat and remain second to bottom. Argentina recorded their third consecutive Conmebol win, and their fifth triumph in as many games this year, to go one point clear of Chile and Ecuador with a total of 13.

Netherlands 2-0 Turkey

Van Persie and Narsingh seal Oranje victory

The Manchester United hitman struck early in the first-half, while the PSV winger added a second late on against the stubborn visitors

Louis van Gaal's Netherlands squeezed past Turkey at the Amsterdam ArenA, securing a 2-0 win in their opening World Cup 2014 qualifier.

The game represented the new Dutch boss' first victory in an official match and while the scoreline looks good, the performance may suggest otherwise.

Turkey began at pace, attacking Netherlands and pressing them when not in possession. Their intent was clear right from the first corner, won in the first minute off the body of Kevin Strootman, as the visitors went close with a header.

Oranje took time to settle, but after 10 minutes started to impose themselves on the game. Crosses were fizzed in and corners were won, but the Turkish defence didn't seem too troubled and mopped them up with ease.

The first scare of the night came for Tim Krul and and Martins Indi, as some miscommunication nearly led to an own goal, and just as the Turks seemed to be reasserting their control, Netherlands struck to take the lead.

Robin van Persie continued his new-found trend of scoring with his head by nodding in from Inter star Wesley Sneijder's corner.

The 19th minute goal gave van Gaal's men temporary hope, but it was Abdullah Avci's side who came away from the restart stronger.

Sercan Yildrim and Arda Turan both went desperately close for The Crescent-Stars, while Luciano Narsingh should have done better when he found himself in a great position.

As the first half wore on, it became clear the Netherlands midfield weren't coping with the physicality of the game. Umut hit the bar with a header just before half-time, leaving Oranje counting their blessings at the interval.

Van Gaal introduced Richardo van Rhijn at half-time and replaced Jordy Clasie with Leroy Fer shortly after.

The changes allowed the Dutch to grab a hold of the game more efficiently and they proceeded to dominate the opening 10 minutes of the second-half.

Turkey, now resorting to the counter-attack in the face of a much-improved Oranje, went close to an equaliser when Hamit Altintop forced Tim Krul into a first-class save with a long-range effort.

On 60 minutes, there were chances at both ends. Van Persie got in the way of Arjen Robben's chipped effort for the hosts, while Sercan should have scored after beating van Rhijn to a header at the far post.

Sneijder and Robben began to combine well down the left side and produced a number of chances for their side to extend their lead, but the Turkish defence stood up to the challenge.

With the Dutch in control, van Gaal's men actively began to protect their lead rather than go all out for a second, while Turkey struggled to grab hold of the game despite the introduction of new Liverpool signing Nuri Sahin.

Ron Vlaar came on late for Jonny Heitinga to add solidity to the back line, and Narsingh scored late on with a chipped finish as Turkey piled forward in search of an equaliser.

The Dutch have opened their campaign with a much-needed confidence-boosting win after a dour Euro 2012 campaign, while Turkey will feel hard done by after an impressive showing.

First place in this group is far from assured on this showing for Oranje, who failed to control the game as they may have hoped before the encounter.

Source: goal.com

Arsenal and Chelsea on alert as Kaka eyes Real exit

Real Madrid star Kaka is considering his future once again in a move that will reignite interest from Arsenal and Chelsea.

The devout Christian is already back in his native Brazil to celebrate Christmas with his family and he will also discuss his future, according to Spanish magazine El Confidencial.
The midfielder has suffered a miserable time at the Bernabeu thanks to injuries and has started just six league games this season under Jose Mourinho.
Arsenal failed with an audacious loan move for the 29-year-old in the summer and Chelsea have long been admirers of the World Cup winner, who has not started a La Liga game since October.
The Premier League sides could face stiff opposition from PSG, who have the playmaker's former AC Milan manager Leonardo as their director of football, and are keen to recruit more high-profile names.

Source: bleacher report