Brazil back on track, beat Chile

Santiago, Sept. 8: Two goals from man-of-the match Luiz Fabiano and one from Manchester City’s new signing Robinho put Brazil’s World Cup qualification back on track here on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Chile.

The five-times World Cup winners had been languishing in sixth place in the 10-team South American zone qualifier, two places outside of assuring one of the four automatic places for the 2010 finals in South Africa.

And with coach Dunga under constant criticism for recent poor performances, including from his country’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the trip to Santiago had loomed as a potential disaster.

Chile opened well and dominated proceedings, but it was Sevilla striker Fabiano who opened the scoring against the run of play in the 20th minute when he headed home a Ronaldinho free-kick.

It was Brazil’s first goal in 317 minutes play, the last having come in a friendly against Canada in June.

The AC Milan midfielder, showing glimpses of his top form, had the chance to make it 2-0 after Diego was downed in the box in the 34th minute, but his penalty-kick was superbly saved by goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

Ten minutes later and on the stroke of half-time though Fabiano made an opening for former Real Madrid star Robinho and he made no mistake to make it 2-0.

Cheered on by a capacity 70,000 crowd, the Chileans flung everything into attack at the start of the second half, and with tempers flaring both Brazil’s Kleber Anderson and and Chile’s Jorge Valvidia were sent off.

With Brazil content to sit back on their lead, the home side pressed forward and were caught out eight minutes from time when Fabiano struck for his second goal of the match with a shot that went through Bravo’s legs.

The win hoisted Brazil into second place in the standings level on 12 points from seven games with eternal rivals Argentina but ahead on goal difference.

Paraguay remain top on 14 points ahead of Wednesday’s eighth round of games which see Brazil host bottom dogs Bolivia and Argentina travel to second-bottom Peru.

Little Benin march on

Johannesburg: Minnows Benin reached the last qualifying phase in Africa for the 2010 World Cup on Sunday with giants Egypt and Ivory Coast poised to join them.

Razack Omotoyossi scored twice as the Squirrels of Benin beat the Black Antelopes of Angola 3-2 in a Cotonou thriller to accompany Cameroon and Nigeria into the third elimination stage on the road to the finals in South Africa.

Meanwhile, Egypt bounced back from a friendly hiding in Sudan last month to overcome the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 in Kinshasa with Mohamed Aboutraika snatching the winner. — AFP