Tag: brazil

[OFF THE POST] Gun-point robberies are no rarity in Sao Paulo, whose crime situation is deemed “critical” by the Overseas Security Advisory and a majority of residents say they don’t feel safe when walking the streets. Even O Rei Pele – three-time world champion and an officially declared national treasure of Brazil – has fallen victim. In an incident made public on Sunday, Pele waited at a congested traffic light in the passenger seat of his car as 10 masked youths, armed with guns and pocket-knives, demanded he turn over his possessions.

[OFF THE POST] Sao Paulo players and coaches fled their locker room at Palmeiras’ Parque Antartica stadium during halftime of a 2-0 loss to because of an unidentified spray. Sao Paulo coach Muricy Ramalho gave his halftime team talk on the field and later said he and several members of the delegation had come close to vomiting. That wasn’t the only trouble at the game.

[VIDEO] Alexandre Pato‘s spectacular goal — a curling shot from near the sideline — gave Brazil a 1-0 win over Sweden on Wednesday and has Brazilians comparing the 18-year-old to Pele and Ronaldo. Pato’s goal came 12 minutes into his debut. Pele scored 32 minutes into his debut, against Argentina, in 1957. Ronaldo hit the net after 51 minutes against Iceland in 1994.

[OFF THE POST] Flamengo midfielder Toro was ejected in the Brazilian club’s 3-0 loss to Uruguay’s Nacional in Libertadores Cup play for pushing a ball boy down as he chased the out-of-bounds ball in the 43rd minute. The 13-year-old was cheered by the home crowd for the rest of the game.

[OFF THE POST] If you’d like to know what your name would be if you played for the Brazilian national team, go to the Web site: http://www.minimalsworld.net/BrazilName/brazilian.shtml.

2007 FIFA Men’s World Player of the Year
AC Milan’s Kaka was named the 2007 FIFA World Men’s Player of the Year, finishing with more than twice the votes of runner-up Lionel Messi of Barcelona.

Brazilian star Romario says hair-loss medicine made him fail a doping test. The Vasco da Gama striker, a World Cup winner in 1994, had tested positive for finasteride after the game against Palmeiras on Oct. 28. "I’m losing some hair and I have been taking this product for a while," the 41-year-old said.

Brazil claimed its second consecutive Beach World Cup on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, with an 8-2 win over Mexico 8-2 in the final. Uruguay finished third by edging France 1-0 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in regulation.

Players from Brazilian teams Atletico Paranaense and Gremio fought during and after Paranaense’s 2-0 win on Wednesday night, and the next day at the airport, delegations from the club brawled. Paranaense director Mario Cesar Petraglia said he was reading the newspaper while waiting for his flight to Sao Paulo when members of the Gremio relegation attacked him. He reportedly suffered a lost tooth and a swollen face. Gremio representatives, who were on their way to home to Porto Alegre, said Petraglia’s security men were involved in the fight.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Brazil broke open a close game with four goals in 10 minutes late in the second half and buried Ecuador, 5-0, in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday.

Brazil, which has taken to playing its friendly games abroad, will play its first home game in more than two years when it faces Ecuador in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday. Its last home game was 3-0 win over Venezuela Oct. 12, 2005 in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. The game against Ecuador also marks its first at Maracana Stadium since a 5-0 win over Bolivia in 2000.

Rarely does a losing team believe the scoreline did it justice, but after the U.S. fell to Brazil, 4-2, at Soldier Field in Chicago, a case could be made that the Americans deserved better.