Fred and Paulinho helped Brazil secure a place in Sunday’s final of Confederation Cup 2013. They defeated their Latin American rivals in the semis thanks to Paulinho last minute header that ensured they will either play with Spain or Italy at Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. The match was rather a nail biting one where both teams struggled throughout the match to crack opponents defense, however, Fred could somehow manage to push Neymar’s cross to the goal post in the forty second minute giving his team a much deserving lead. Uruguay was not in a mood to let it go so easily and Edinson Cavani took advantage of an error by Brazil captain Thiago Silva and hit a low shot just six minutes later and equalized the score without wasting much time. It was then a draught of goals from both sides coz both teams did not let opposition find their nets. Goalkeeper Cesar performance is especially noticeable coz he saved first-half penalty convincingly otherwise Uruguay could have a lead right in the fourteen minute. Apart from last minute header from Paulinho, the match was decorated by thousands of antigovernment protestors who were gathered around Mineirao Stadium and shouting against the Government policies. In fact, they have also warned for a more intensified protest on Sunday during the final match.
Confident host goalkeeper Julio Cesar said after the match that “It’s a new team and this is going to help us grow for the World Cup. We know that we can face a very difficult opponent.”
The match was accompanied by more than thousands of spectators and if we also consider protesters standing outside of the ground, it was probably the biggest crowded match of Confederation Cup. Neymar did not score any goal in this match, but he helped Paulinho in connecting the ball in the most crucial moments of the game which eventually made them winner all the way. Though, Brazil won the match but Uruguay performance was also overwhelming perhaps they were the favorite to win this game at once. Celeste striker Luis Suarez said, “It was an even match, maybe we even had more chances than Brazil, but football is like this. In the end, they found a way to win.”
Amid sever protests, more than 6000 police personnel were inside the ground to stop marchers enter into the field while more than 1500 security guards were also deployed across all the local stations. Anyway, let’s see how Sunday’s final goes ahead.