Johannesburg - An unstoppable Brazilian squad booked itself a place in the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup after they beat an equally determined Cote d'Ivoire 3-1 in a thrilling encounter last night.
As expected, the match attracted a staggering crowd of more than 84 000. The Samba boys lived up to all expectations and showed why they are regarded as front runners in the race to win the first ever FIFA World Cup in Africa.
But what was generally an entertaining match, nearly turned chaotic, when Brazilian top midfielder Kaka was sent off shortly before fulltime for his aggressive behaviour on the field. Referee Stephane Lannoy dismissed Kaka after a second yellow card when he used his elbow to knock down defender Abdelkader Keita in the 88th minute. It was barely three minutes after Kaka was yellow carded for pushing Yaya Toure. The referee ran to Keita when the player crumpled to the floor, clutching his face.
Following the incident, players nearly exchanged blows but Lannoy brought the tense situation under control and players were quickly seen chasing the ball again.
Brazil got its first goal through a powerful strike by Luis Fabiano in the 26th minute after he was picked up in the box by Kaka.
Poor defending from Cote d'Ivoire saw an unstoppable Fabiano net his second for the Brazilians. While a replay showed Fabiano apparently using his arm to control the ball, the goal was allowed to stand.
The first piece of the game was awarded to Cote d'Ivoire just outside the Brazilian box in the seventh minute. But Ismael Tiote wasted what appeared to be a scoring opportunity for the Africans. Despite being behind by two goals at the start of the second half Cote d'Ivoire showed character and was determined to fight the five time world champions until the end. After a quiet first half, top Chelsea striker Didier Drogba scored The Elephants' consolation goal. But it was after Elano had sealed the Brazilian victory with a superb strike in the 62nd minute to place his team in a comfortable 3-1 lead. Kaka was instrumental in setting up all of the three goals for his side.
The first 15 minutes of the game saw a promising Cote d'Ivoire getting three free-kicks just outside the Brazilian box. Defender Siaka Tiene frustrated the Samba defenders as he looked lively on the left back. But he also became the first man to go to the referee's books when he picked up a yellow card for a challenge on Elano. While Brazil seemed to continue to dominate ball possession, by halftime both teams were sitting on four shots at goal each. The Elephants finished the first half on the attack and were aggressive upfront but were just unlucky to score.
Brazil faces Portugal in their final group match on Friday while Cote d'Ivoire meet with North Korea at Mbombela.
