Brazil’s flourish too much for North Korea

KOCHI: A clinical second half performance against North Korea saw Brazil notch their second consecutive win in the FIFA U-17 World Cup on Tuesday. Lincoln and Paulinho, who had scored in the opening game against Spain, continued their goal-scoring run as they finished off chances within a span of five minutes to help the South American champions secure a 2-0 win.

Brazil dominated the game from the beginning, but failed to breach the Korean backline.

Despite managing to keep possession for most of the first half, the finishing touch was missing from Brazil’s game. They had to wait till the 41st minute for their next big chance. Midfielder Alan Souza had a good chance to give his side the lead, but his shot from inside the Korean box was wide of the mark.

Brazil piled on the pressure in the second half, and in the 51st minute, Brenner forced Tae Song into a diving save with a curling shot from the edge of the box. Five minutes later, however, they finally had the lead. A free-kick outside the box hit the North Korean wall, but the ball sneaked in towards the goal. The Korean keeper left his line to try and grab the ball, but the well-positioned Lincoln timed his header past him as wild celebrations ensued.

GUINEA HELD

MARGAO: Guinea coach Souleymane Camara was left fuming at the final whistle on Tuesday.

His team had just blown away a golden opportunity to beat Costa Rica and keep their hopes alive in the World Cup but in the end had to settle for a 2-2 draw in Group C.

His frustration boiled over because of his players’ inability to get past Costa Rica goalkeeper Ricardo Montenegro, who made six to seven crucial saves to earn his team a draw.

Guinea created many chances but the end result wasn’t always fruitful. While Montenegro stood like a wall in front of them, on occasion they were guilty of not hitting the target.

Victory would have been crucial for Guinea as they face Germany in their last Group C game and the odds will be stacked against them.

Costa Rica face Iran in their last group game on October 13.