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THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2014

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SOWETO: South Africa’s goalkeeper Ronwen Williams concedes a goal to Brazil’s forward (right) during a friendly football match at Soccer City stadium. — AFP BRAZIL THRASHES SOUTH AFRICA 5-0

SOWETO: Neymar scored a hat-trick as Brazil slick visitors and his defensive partner Bongani past the hour and he almost scored with his first Koo also set up the second goal in the 55th Hilal El Arbi Soudani and Saphir Sliti Taider ended a run of narrow victories over South Khumalo was an early injury casualty, giving touch, forcing Cesar into an acrobatic block. minute with Son Heung-min beating try-out scored either side of halftime for the north Africa by cruising to a 5-0 triumph at Soccer way to Siyanda Xulu. Fernandinho netted 11 minutes from time, goalkeeper Panagiotis Glykos with an angled Africans who have been drawn in Group H with City stadium in Soweto yesterday. The persistent pressure told again on 41 latching on to a loose ball and giving Williams shot. Belgium, Russia and South Korea at the finals in A much-hyped friendly between the last minutes with Neymar the scorer, hammering no chance, and Neymar completed his hat-trick Greece hit the bar three times in the first Brazil in June. The opening goal came in stop- and next World Cup hosts lacked bite as the the ball past Williams from close range. in stoppage time from point-blank range. half, but failed to produce much toward the end page time at the end of the first half. ‘Selecao’ exploited woeful Bafana Bafana (The Veteran Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar was a as South Korea tired at Karaiskaki stadium. Abdelmoumene Djabou surged down the left Boys) defending. Oscar opened the scoring on virtual spectator until first-half stoppage time SOUTH KOREA 2 GREECE 0 Greece plays Colombia, Ivory Coast and and his centre was headed in by Soudani. 10 minutes, Neymar struck once in the first half when a Dean Furman drive flashed just wide. In Piraeus, Park Chu-young marked his return Japan in the group stage at the World Cup, Djabou also set up Taider’s header 11 minutes and twice in the second, and Fernandinho got Brazil made a planned half-time change to South Korea’s national team by scoring the while South Korea faces Belgium, Algeria, and into the second half. on the scoresheet as well. from a yellow-and-blue outfit to an all-blue kit opening goal in a 2-0 win over Greece in a Russia. Brazil had won four previous games and 25 seconds into the second half they were World Cup warm-up match yesterday. KOSOVO 0 HAITI 0 between the countries since 1996 — all by three goals ahead. Neymar had time and space The 28-year-old Arsenal striker, currently on ALGERIA 2 SLOVENIA 0 In Mitrovica, regardless of the lack of goals, one-goal margins-but showed no mercy this he would not normally be accustomed to and loan to Watford, was recalled after a 13-month In Blida, World Cup-bound Algeria claimed a the sellout crowd of 18,000 was entertained by time. It was the final warm-up for the 2014 calmly lobbed the ball over Williams. absence and scored in the 18th minute off an rare victory over European opposition when the international football debut of its Kosovo World Cup title favourites before the May South Africa introduced Ayanda Patosi just expert overhead pass from Koo Ja-cheol. they beat visiting Slovenia 2-0 in Blida yesterday. team yesterday. announcement of the 23-man World Cup Kosovo dominated much of the friendly with squad. Haiti in a stadium refurbished in the northern South Africa, who stunned World Cup and town of Mitrovica for Kosovo’s first outing. Euro title-holders Spain 1-0 at the same stadi- In January, FIFA cleared its member coun- um last November, were overawed and out- tries to organize national and club matches classed. Coach Gordon Igesund has been against the former Yugoslav province. The move branded a ‘dead man walking’ after poor tour- came despite Serbia objecting to Kosovo hav- nament results and this loss greatly lessens his ing a national team because it considers the ter- chances of a new contract in mid-year. ritory as its own. “The victory margin suggests it was easy. Kosovo seceded from Serbia in 2008 but but the first half was even before our third goal Belgrade rejects the move and blocks the terri- killed off South Africa,” said Brazil assistant tory’s membership in international political and coach and ex-South Africa handler Carlos sport organizations. Alberto Parreira. “Our players were fighting for World Cup GHANA 0 MONTENEGRO 1 squad places and it showed in an excellent per- In Podgorica, dominant Ghana had only formance. We have a good team and they are themselves to blame for a 1-0 defeat at on the way to being ready for the tournament.” Montenegro after they conceded a first-minute Igesund looked understandably glum as he penalty which striker Dejan Damjanovic coolly said: “Brazil played much better than us and the converted to settle a drab friendly yesterday. first and third goals were bad ones to concede. The Ghanaians, in World Cup Group G along- “We only played well in patches and that side Germany, the United States and Portugal, was never going to be good enough against were caught napping as Montenegro the World Cup favorites.” South Africa gave a Branko Boskovic fed Filip Kasalica from the kick- first cap to goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, 22, in off and the forward was fouled by centre back the absence of injured captain Itumeleng David Addy. Damjanovic sent keeper Adam Khune with centre-back Thabo Nthethe taking Kwarasey the wrong way to delight the home over the armband. fans but they had little to cheer about for the Brazil also introduced new faces as coach rest of the match as Ghana took control and Luiz Felipe Scolari gave first starts to Bayern wasted several good chances. Munich defender Rafinha and Manchester City Winger , who caused his mark- midfielder Fernandinho. ers all sorts of problems with his pace and trick- It did not take the South Americans long to ery, had a close-range shot saved by Vladimir establish control before a crowd that grew to Bozovic and the Montenegro keeper also did 51,000 despite an early kick-off and heavy mid- well to keep out Michael Essien’s piledriver on day rain. A Brazilian goal was inevitable and it the half-hour mark. arrived on 10 minutes as Oscar outpaced Kwarasey saved a Damjanovic sitter several Nthethe to a Rafinha pass and lobbed the ball minutes later but the pace dropped in the sec- over Williams. BLIDA: Algeria’s Mostefa Sebba Mehdi (right) challenges Slovenia’s Kampl Kevin for the ball during their international friendly football ond half as both coaches made several substitu- Tortoise-slow Nthethe suffered against the match at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker Stadium. — AFP tions. —Agencies