NEWS
OTHER SPORTS
DIARY
PEOPLE
MATCH REPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
ARCHIVES

Brazil in Copa America final

Defending champions Brazil beat Mexico 2-0 yesterday to reach the Copa America final with a mechanical performance which betrayed their reputation for flair and had nothing to do with Pele's so-called ''beautiful game".

Brazil scored twice in the first half of the semi-final, concentrated most of their efforts on stopping opponents from creating and, on a sad day for football, played the last 10 minutes with only one recognised striker.

As in their quarter-final win over Argentina, Brazil depended on a couple of isolated moments of inspiration to settle the match, Amoroso and Rivaldo scoring the goals as they finished well-constructed moves.

Otherwise, they packed their midfield and did not hesitate to break the rules to stop their opponents.

The destructive Brazilians committed 19 fouls, nearly twice as many as Mexico, and played with the enthusiasm of production line workers going through a daily routine.

Emerson Ferreira, given the role of doing the dirty work in midfield, was guilty of several nasty challenges but amazingly escaped without being booked by Ecuadorean referee Byron Moreno.

Brazil reached their third successive Copa America final and will meet Uruguay on Sunday, hoping to avenge their 1995 penalty shootout-defeat by the same team.

''We came here to win the competition and we've reached the final,'' said coach Wanderley Luxemburgo, apparently satisfied with his team's display.

Mexico won a dozen corners as well as several free-kicks in dangerous positions but could not seriously threaten Brazilian goalkeeper Dida with any of them.

Brazil's only prolonged spell of attacking came midway through the first half.

Ronaldo and Rivaldo both saw shots deflected past the goal before Amoroso put Brazil ahead in the 25th minute, firing in a rebound from close range after Rivaldo's header rebounded off the crossbar.

Rivaldo, viciously criticised by the Brazilian media for his lame performance against Argentina, scored the second in the 42nd minute with a left-foot shot from outside the penalty area after playing a one-two with Ronaldo, who otherwise contributed little.

Ronaldo, booked against Argentina, appeared aware that he would miss the final if he picked up another yellow card and was substituted late in the game by Ronaldo Assis.

Amoroso, who became joint top-scorer in the competition with Ronaldo on four goals, was replaced by midfielder Alex, leaving Brazil with only one out-and-out attacker for the last 10 minutes.

As in their first round matches with Brazil and Chile and their quarter-final against Peru, Mexico improved significantly after half-time but this time they never looked dangerous.

Apart from a couple of long-range shots, defender Rafael Marquez had the best effort, his close range header being well saved by Dida.

The match followed an equally disappointing semi-final on Tuesday, when Uruguay beat Chile on penalties after a dismal 1-1 draw, in what until last Sunday had been an excellent tournament.

Only around 10,000 fans, most of them Brazilians from across the nearby border, watched the game, high ticket prices possibly scaring off many people.

Mexico, beaten by Brazil for the second time in the tournament, were condemned to Saturday's third-place play-off against chile.

UNI