Brazil Advances To Final

The United States gets another chance at Brazil. And this time, there’s a nice, shiny trophy at stake.

Daniel Alves scored the only goal on a free kick in the 88th minute for a 1-0 victory at the Confederations Cup last night in Johannesburg, sending Brazil into the final against the surprising United States and ending host South Africa’s upset bid.

The final is the first at a FIFA tournament for the American men. It’s also a rematch of last week’s game in group play, when the five-time World Cup champions crushed the Americans, 3-0.

Brazil is 13-1 in head-to-head meetings with the United States, and has outscored the United States 26-8. The lone American victory was a 1-0 upset at the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean.

“Brazil, we know well because they beat us pretty badly a week ago,” Landon Donovan said after the United States shocked top-ranked Spain in the first semifinal. “They would probably be comfortable playing against us, but I think we’re in a better place now.”

The Americans pulled off one of soccer’s biggest upsets Wednesday with their 2-0 victory over Spain. The reigning European champions had set an international record with 15 straight victories, and had tied Brazil’s record unbeaten streak of 35 games from December 1993 to January 1996.

The U.S. men, meanwhile, had been 1-7-1 against No. 1 teams. Its only other victory against a top-ranked opponent? That upset of Brazil in 1998.

“I didn’t watch the game last night because I was more concerned with the game today,” Brazil Coach Dunga said.

Good thing, because the South Africans gave lackluster Brazil all it could handle.

Brazil, normally so smooth and fluid, looked short of ideas and labored to find an opening. Just four days after Brazil routed Italy, 3-0, the ball inexplicably seemed to get stuck under the players’ feet

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