Abu Dhabi: Brazil’s rebuilding process for 2014 continued on its unbeaten path with a 3-0 win over Asian Cup hopefuls Iran in a friendly match at a sweltering Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi on Thursday night.
But the result could have been so different for Iran and their more vocal support had ‘Team Melli’ not had a fifth minute tap in disallowed as off-side.
Nilmar converted a cross from the left wing to touch in the third on 93 minutes on the right post to add to efforts from Pato on 68 minutes and Daniel Alves on 13 minutes.
It had been a case of third time lucky for Alexander Pato, benefiting from a neat one two build up from Nilmar and Elias, before being put through to tip the ball into the top left; that’s having earlier squandered a cross on 51 minutes and forced a cat-like save from Seyed Rehmati on 57 minutes.
That followed on from a first half free-kick from Daniel Alves from outside the box, which blazed into the top right with a nick in off the post. The same post that Robinho had hit on 19 minutes after scrambling the ball past Iran’s defence.
Iran thought they had opened the account on just six minutes when a throw into the box headed on by Seyed Hosseini was chested down and tapped into the net by Mohammad Gholaini, however the touch from Hosseini with a player marginally offside rendered the effort obsolete.
On 48 minutes Iranian hearts skipped another beat when Javad Nekonam chipped an effort toward the same post that denied Robinho and aided Alves from an acute angle on the left of goal. Seyed Hosseini looked to follow it up but despite much contest it never crossed the line.
The last touch of Karim Bagheri’s career, and this match, was to put Milad Midavoodi through on goal on 94 minutes but the 67th minute substitute put his effort painstakingly wide, denying the Persian’s a deserved consolation.
