Only one Bayern man has made the Confederations Cup semi-finals. Defender Lucio and his Brazil team-mates beat World Cup holders Italy in the final round of group matches to send fellow FCB star Luca Toni tumbling out of the competition. The Selecao cruised past the Azzurri 3-0 on Sunday evening to seal maximum points from their three group matches, and book a last-four meeting with hosts South Africa on Thursday.
The 42,000 crowd at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria saw Sevilla hitman Luis Fabiano effectively seal victory for the South Americans with a quick-fire brace on 37 and 42 minutes. Rubbing salt into the wound, Italy left-back Andrea Dossena put through his own goal on the stroke of half-time to cap a miserable first-half display by Marcello Lippi’s men.
After substitute appearances against Egypt and the USA, FCB goal-getter Toni started the match in place of Giuseppe Rossi, but was frustrated by a lack of service from the below-par Italian midfield. Toni gave way to Alberto Gilardino after 57 minutes. By contrast, Brazil captain Lucio was a model of commitment and determination in the five-time world champions’ defence, frequently storming forward to lend assistance in attack at set plays.
Topics of this article