World player of the year Kaka returned after an 11-month international absence to inspire five-time champions Brazil to a 4-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Venezuela on Sunday.
The 26-year-old AC Milan star was on target after just five minutes and set up the third goal as Brazil moved back into the second place in the South American standings with 16 points, four behind leaders Paraguay.
Manchester City ace Robinho also grabbed a share of the headlines with two sublime goals.
PHOTO: EPA
Venezuela came into the match buoyed by having won a friendly between the two nations 2-0 in a friendly in Boston last year, their first ever victory ending a run of 17 successive defeats against their illustrious rivals.
However, within 20 minutes, any hopes Venezuela coach Cesar Farias had off overseeing another shock were extinguished.
With just six minutes gone, Kaka beat goalkeeper Renny Vega with a shot from a difficult angle which went in off the post. It was the AC Milan star’s 23rd international goal in his 60th appearance.
Four minutes later, Robinho made it 2-0 when he cut inside from the left and drove the ball into the back of the net from 30 yards.
By the 20th minute, it was 3-0 with troubled striker Adriano, recalled this year after a series of fitness and disciplinary problems, finding the net from close range.
Kaka had broken from midfield and sent Elano, another Manchester City player on the pitch, free down the left-hand side.
His shot fell invitingly for Adriano to beat Vega and to justify his selection by coach Dunga who was deprived of the injured Luis Fabiano.
Venezuela had chances to hit back before half-time as Brazil’s defensive frailties looked in danger of being exposed, but Alejandro Guerra, Jorge Rojas, Juan Arango and Giancarlo Maldonado all wasted opportunities.
Adriano was booked on the stroke of half-time which means he will be suspended for tomorrow’s visit of Colombia.
Brazil keeper Julio Cesar was twice called on early in the second half to save from Maldonado at close range.
Venezuela paid for their wastefulness after 69 minutes when Robinho added his second goal of the night being put through by Kleber.
Three players were sent off as Ecuador beat Chile 1-0 in an ugly foul-ridden World Cup qualifier on Sunday to revive their chances of qualifying for South Africa.
Ecuador striker Christian Benitez, who fueled the rivalry before the game by saying that Chile had a weak attack, scored the winner in the 71st minute.
Chile appeared to prove Benitez right in his pre-match comments as they failed to muster a shot on goal.
The visitors, who made their last finals appearance in 1998, were in trouble from the 20th minute when defender Ismael Fuentes was sent off for a late tackle on Joffre Guerron.
Ecuador had Luis Antonio Valencia dismissed in the 76th minute for a studs-up challenge and he was followed by Chile defender Gonzalo Jara in the 83rd minute for a second bookable offense.
The match completed the first half of the marathon 18-game South American qualifying campaign.
■AFRICA SECOND ROUND
AFP AND AP, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
Guinea and Mozambique filled the final slots on Sunday as six months of 2010 World Cup-African Nations Cup second-round qualifying drama ended.
Joining them in a draw next Friday to split 20 survivors into five pools are Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Togo, Tunisia, Sudan and Zambia.
Senegal were the only top-10 nation on the latest FIFA Africa rankings to miss out, coming third behind Algeria and Gambia in Group 6, while 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa were among four runners-up not to make it.
Although guaranteed a place as hosts, South Africa had to compete in the preliminaries because they double as qualifiers for the 2010 Nations Cup in Angola.
In a bad competition for hosts, Angola were another runner-up not to make it, although they are automatic qualifiers for the African tournament that kicks off five months ahead of the World Cup.
The five third-round group winners will join South Africa at the World Cup while the top three in each four-team pool go into the Nations Cup draw with first-time hosts Angola.
Guinea entered their home match against Group 2 pacesetters Kenya knowing only a win would take them through at the expense of Gambia and the west Africans survived a few late scares to triumph 3-2 in Conakry.
Mozambican hopes hinged on Angola depriving Uganda of second spot in Group 4 and when Uganda came from behind to edge Benin 2-1 in Kampala and Niger led Angola 1-0 in Luanda, it looked ominous for the Maputo Mambas.
But a second-half recovery saw the Angolan Black Antelopes score three times within 21 minutes to claim a 3-1 victory and pip the Ugandan Cranes on goal difference after both countries garnered 10 points.
It was a close call for Mozambique, though, as they and Gambia had five points each in the runners-up contest with the plus-two goal difference of the former proving decisive.
Moumouni Dagano raised his goal haul to seven in the second round by netting twice during the second half in Bujumbura as Burkina Faso completed their Group 9 program unbeaten with a 3-1 victory over Burundi.
Aristide Bance put the Stallions in front on 18 minutes, Claude Nahimana equalized just before half-time and Dagano stole the show as the Burkinabe regained top spot from brief occupants Tunisia.
Egypt beat Djibouti 4-0 on Sunday in its last second-round qualifier for the 2010 World Cup.
Egypt advanced to the third round after winning Group 12 with 15 points from six games.
Emad Moteab opened the scoring in the 20th minute despite strong defending from Djibouti.
Ahmed Hassan made it 2-0 with a powerful strike in the 50th minute, followed by a goal from Mohamed Aboutrika in the 65th. It got worse for Djibouti when Riad Saeed accidentally scored an own-goal in second-half injury time.
Champagne corks often pop and loud, boisterous cheers are usually heard around Constitution Dock when the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race line honors winner finishes in the Tasmanian state capital. There were no such celebrations this year when the defending champions on board LawConnect won the race in the early hours of yesterday morning, as it came about 24 hours after two sailors died on separate boats in sail boom accidents two hours apart on a storm-ravaged first night of the race. LawConnect, a 100-foot super maxi skippered by Australian tech millionaire Christian Beck, sailed up the River Derwent at just after 2:30am.
Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan yesterday dumped defending champions Germany out of the United Cup with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev sidelined by an arm injury barely a week away from the Australian Open. The upset in Perth sent the Kazakhs into the semi-finals of the 18-nation tournament. In Sydney, women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek led Poland into the last eight by winning a rematch of her 2023 French Open final against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Britain also progressed to the quarter-finals with Katie Boulter’s dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki enough to guarantee they won their group. The US and
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
Chess great Magnus Carlsen on Friday quit the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York after governing body FIDE barred the Norwegian from participating in a round at the tournament for wearing jeans. FIDE said in a statement that its dress code regulations were designed to “ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants.” It issued Carlsen a US$200 fine and gave him an opportunity to change into the correct attire, which the world No. 1 rejected, it said. Carlsen said he had a lunch meeting before the round and had to change quickly. “I put on a shirt, jacket and honestly like
RSS