Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari decided against selecting the two experienced playmakers, who between them have won three FIFA World Player of the Year awards, for the eight-team tournament which Brazil is hosting from 15-30 June.

Chelsea duo Oscar and David Luiz were included but there was no place for their club-mate Ramires, or Manchester United defender Rafael.

Among those named in the squad were goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who was part of the Queens Park Rangers squad relegated from the Premier League this season, plus star names such as Neymar, Hulk, Lucas Moura and Dani Alves.

Brazil has been drawn against Italy, Japan and Mexico in Group A of the Confederations Cup, with Spain, Uruguay, Tahiti and Nigeria in Group B.

Prior to the tournament, five-time world champion Brazil plays home friendlies against England and France.

Brazil squad: Julio Cesar (Queens Park Rangers), Diego Cavalieri (Fluminense), Jefferson (Botafogo); Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain), Rever (Atletico Mineiro), David Luiz (Chelsea), Dante (Bayern Munich), Dani Alves (Barcelona), Jean (Fluminense), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid); Fernando (Gremio), Hernanes (Lazio), Luiz Gustavo (Bayern Munich), Paulinho (Corinthians) Jadson (Sao Paulo), Oscar (Chelsea), Lucas Moura (Paris Saint-Germain); Hulk (Zenit St Petersburg), Bernard (Atletico Mineiro), Leandro Damiao (Internacional), Fred (Fluminense), Neymar (Santos)

The two-time world player of the year significantly increased his chances of making Brazil's squad for next month's FIFA Confederations Cup after a superb performance in the Copa Libertadores.

Ronaldinho 'put on a private show', according to a headline in a local newspaper, a day after leading Atletico Mineiro to a 4-1 rout of Sao Paulo and a spot in the quarter-finals.

The performance comes just five days before coach Luiz Felipe Scolari announces Brazil's squad for the World Cup warm-up tournament that begins on 15 June.

Ronaldinho needed a good performance after struggling in his last appearance with Brazil's national team, a 2-2 result against Chile which drew loud jeers from nearly 50,000 home fans in Belo Horizonte just a few weeks ago.

The high-profile Copa Libertadores match in Belo Horizonte attracted all the attention in Brazil and Ronaldinho took advantage of the spotlight.

'Another show by Ronaldinho', a headline at the Estado de Minas newspaper read.

Scolari has hinted that he will pick between veterans Ronaldinho and Kaka for a spot in midfield in his Confederations Cup squad.

While Kaka is struggling to get a chance to play with Real Madrid, Ronaldinho is making the most of his matches with Atletico Mineiro.

The former Barcelona star set up one of the three goals scored by striker Jo and took control of the match from the start at the Independencia Stadium.

He nearly scored himself just three minutes into the game but his free-kick struck the crossbar as Sao Paulo goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni could only watch.

Ronaldinho displayed some of the skills that made him one of the best players in the world while playing in Europe in the last decade. Near the end of the match, he used nifty moves to dribble past two defenders at once near the sidelines, bringing the Atletico fans to their feet.

Ronaldinho led Atletico to the best campaign of all 32 teams in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.

The team won five matches and lost only one, at Sao Paulo in the final group round, when Atletico had already advanced.

Ronaldinho was heavily criticised at the time after saying that he 'didn't care too much' about that match because it was only a 'practice game' for him and his team-mates.

He said it wasn't meant as a provocation and that he didn't mean any disrespect toward Sao Paulo players, but when asked about it on Wednesday, he didn't hold back.

"You see, when it's on, it's on," he said.

"We still have a lot of work to do... We know that we're not ready, everyone knows it," he added following the 2-2 draw against Chile in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday (Thursday AEST).

The five-time world champion - which qualifies automatically as host for next year's showpiece event - was without its European-based stars for the match but did have Ronaldinho, Neymar and Alexandre Pato in its line-up.

About 53,000 people watched the game at the venue, which was opened in December last year and will host matches in the Confederation Cup tournament from June 15-30.

The result - the Selecao's third draw in five games since Scolari took over in November last year - was met with whistles from the crowd.

The man nicknamed "Big Phil" was the last Brazil coach to take the country to World Cup glory in 2002 and hopes have been high that he can repeat the feat next year.

Brazil has fallen to 19th in the FIFA world rankings - its lowest-ever position - although the world governing body awards fewer points for friendlies than competitive qualifying matches.

Brazil has two further friendlies before the Confederations Cup.

On June 2, Brazil plays England in the inaugural match at the revamped Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, then takes on France on June 9 in Porto Alegre in the southeast of the country.

The match was arranged to raise money for the family of Kevin Spada, a 14-year-old who was killed by a projectile during a Copa Libertadores match between Bolivian side San Jose and Brazil's Corinthians.

The players stood with a large banner carrying the slogan "A match for peace and friendship in stadiums" before kick-off.

Leandro Damiao put Brazil ahead after three minutes with a sharp finish and Neymar made it 3-0 by the interval, scoring his first after smartly linking up with Ronaldinho to clip the ball home and his second from a low cross delivered from the right by Jadson.

Substitute Leandro fired Brazil's fourth goal in the second half after an intricate build-up.

The teams were made up of home-based players, with overseas stars unavailable.

Only players from Brazilian clubs were called up for the match in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Part of the proceeds from the friendly will go to the family of 14-year-old Kevin Beltran Espada who was killed at a Copa Libertadores match in February.

Neymar and Leandro Damiao also were included in the 18-player squad announced by Scolari.

Ronaldinho, who played for Scolari when Brazil won the 2002 FIFA World Cup, had not been selected by the coach for friendlies against Italy and Russia last month.

Espada died after being hit in the face by a flare apparently set off by fans from Brazilian club Corinthians against San Jose.

"Neymar is the Justin Bieber of football. Brilliant on the old YouTube. Cat p**s in reality," was Barton's damning view of the Santos forward long dubbed as Brazil's hero-in-waiting as it bids to win a sixth FIFA World Cup on home soil next year.

Former Manchester City and Newcastle United midfielder Barton, who now is on a season loan with Marseille from Queens Park Rangers, had already mocked Neymar as 'overrated' after Brazil's friendly loss to England last month.

The Brazilian, who played at Stamford Bridge in the 1-1 draw with Russia, insists a hectic schedule of some six games in just 16 days following the international break can be met head on.

Chelsea will be out to cement its place in the top four of the Premier League at Southampton on Sunday (AEDT), before then tackling Manchester United in an FA Cup quarter-final on Tuesday (AEST).

It then hosts Rubin Kazan in the Europa League on Friday (AEST) ahead of a trip to Sunderland next weekend, which is followed up by the second leg of its European tie in Moscow.

Luiz, however, maintains those challenges must be faced with a positive attitude.

"I love to play games, I prefer to play games than training for sure. I want to play both games against Southampton and Manchester United and I want to win both matches," Luiz said.

"All the games are important to us - you know that at Chelsea. Southampton away is a difficult game, we need to win and after that we have a big derby in the FA Cup. Last year we won the competition, so it is also important."

At one stage, it looked as if Chelsea would be out of the FA Cup having trailed 2-0 at Old Trafford before mounting a stirring comeback which on another day could have seen them go on to win the tie.

Luiz accepts it was perhaps a missed opportunity.

He added: "People saw the match and in the second half Chelsea controlled all the game and we had the opportunities to win. I felt a little bit sad, but now we have another game to win.

"We have an opportunity on Monday. When you do well on the pitch (against them) this gives you a lot of confidence."

Despite a difficult spell, Rafael Benitez's squad are still in with a chance of ending what has been a testing campaign on a positive note should it progress in the FA Cup and on towards the Europa League final.

Just who, though, will take charge of the squad next season remains to be seen.

Interim manager Benitez is set to depart in the northern summer, with reports suggesting Chelsea will turn to former boss Jose Mourinho to take the club forwards.

The Portuguese coach, 50, is currently in charge of Real Madrid and looking to guide the Spanish side to the Champions League title, having knocked United out in the last round.

Mourinho - who left Stamford Bridge in 2007 following three hugely successful seasons - retains a property in London and his daughter is scheduled to take up a place on a course at Camberwell Art College in the next Academic year, further fuelling speculation he was set to return to Chelsea, having now again built up a good relationship with billionaire owner Roman Abramovich.

Victor Fayzulin had given Russia the lead with a scrappy goal with a little over 15 minutes remaining and that had looked to have been enough to settle the match.

Over 35,000 fans in attendance at the home of reigning European champion Chelsea saw next year's FIFA World Cup host struggle defensively throughout the contest, whilst the likes of Neymar and Kaka could not stamp enough authority on the game.

Fayzulin's third goal for Russia came with a little over 15 minutes remaining after Brazil struggled to clear its lines before Fluminense forward Fred tapped home a 90th-minute equaliser.

Julio Cesar was forced into a save after just three minutes when Sergey Ignashevich arrowed a low free-kick towards goal, with the Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper pushing the ball away.

Another set-piece led to a mix-up in the Brazil backline with Dani Alves clearing behind his own goal.

The resulting corner was cleared only as far as Vasily Berezutskiy whose shot appeared to hit the arm of Fernando Lucas inside the box but referee Howard Webb was unmoved.

The ball squirted off Lucas' arm into the path of Aleksandr Kerzhakov but the Zenit St Petersburg striker fired wide when well placed.

Fabio Capello's Russia continued to dominate from set-pieces as yet another corner was not dealt with by the Brazil defence and only a last-ditch slide from Hernanes stopped Kerzhakov's goal-bound effort at the back post.

Vladimir Bystrov was the next to try his luck in the 15th minute but Cesar kept out his 22-yard shot with ease as Brazil struggled to mount any sort of attacking threat in the opening stages.

Ignashevich body-checked Marcelo to give Brazil a chance to test Russia with a set-piece of its own but, after the original free-kick had been cleared, Alexander Anyukov made a brave interception on Oscar's cross to deny Fred tapping home as Brazil started to work its way back into the game.

Neymar, who had been on the periphery of the match, burst through onto a throughball but could only shoot wide of Vladimir Gabulov's right-hand post.

Russia had gone off the boil after its blistering start to the game but Fayzulin injected some much-needed pace with half-time approaching.

The Zenit winger skipped over the challenge of Lucas before releasing Kerzhakov down the left flank, Fayzulin ran on to collect the ball just inside the area but Cesar tipped his resulting effort behind, although Webb incorrectly awarded a goal kick.

The second half started at a much slower pace than the first and it was Brazil which shaded the possession without truly testing Gabulov, with Marcelo's 64th-minute shot comfortably held by the goalkeeper.

Luiz Felipe Scolari, returning to Chelsea for the first time since his sacking in 2009, introduced Zenit striker Hulk with just over 20 minutes remaining with Blues' midfielder Oscar making way.

Neymar came close with a curling effort moments later but he could not get enough on the ball to beat Gabulov.

Hernanes picked up the first caution of the game as he jumped into Andrei Yeschenko after the ball had gone.

Fayzulin's goal came seconds later after a melee inside the Brazil penalty area.

A number of players dallying in possession, as well as a clearance off the line from Hernanes, meant that Brazil looked like surviving the most threatening Russian attack of the second half.

But Hernanes could only find Fayzulin with his clearance and the winger coolly converted from 12 yards out.

Brazil almost hit back immediately but Marcelo saw his powerful strike flash past the post with Lucas only picking out Gabulov with a long-range effort moments later.

Former Chelsea fullback Yuri Zhirkov did not have a happy return to his old ground as the 29-year-old was forced off with a hamstring problem late on after being introduced by former England boss Capello at half-time.

Yeschenko was booked for a cynical foul on Hulk on the edge of the Russian penalty area with just three minutes remaining but Hernanes attempted to score from an almost impossible angle and fired high and wide as a result.

The equalising goal came on Brazil's next attack with Fred tapping home after Marcelo's ball across the face of goal.

Neither side could find a dramatic late winner as Capello and Scolari had to settle for a draw on their respective returns to London.

Scolari is yet to secure the first win of his second spell as Brazil coach after losing to England 2-1 and drawing with Italy 2-2.

And the former Chelsea boss concedes he is a long way from knowing who will make up his team come the FIFA Confederations Cup later this year or, more importantly, the World Cup, which will be hosted by Brazil next year.

That makes every warm-up fixture a valuable exercise for Scolari and he will continue to experiment against Fabio Capello's Russia at Stamford Bridge.

"We are playing in friendly games trying to get together a group, sort out our system and the way we are going to play," Scolari said.

"I have played only two games so far with this squad. I'm happy as we are improving little by little and I believe that maybe in four months' time, when we have played the Confederations Cup, we will have seen more than 60 players for the World Cup and we may have an idea toward who will be the ones.

"At the moment I can't say too much as after two games, we are still trying to organise everything.

"As soon as I have my system in place and the way I think we should play then I am going to get the players to fit in.

"For tomorrow's game I have to choose the players that I think are going to do well and also players I may use for the Confederations Cup."

Brazil striker Hulk will come up against several of his Zenit St Petersburg colleagues when the teams face off and he knows the five-time World Cup winner will have to be at its best to get the better of his club team-mates.

"I know the Russian team quite well because six of the players play with me at Zenit," he said.

"I believe they are very strong team. They haven't let in goals and keep clean sheets in qualifying."

Brazil's Chelsea stars David Luiz and Oscar will be playing on home turf - although club team-mate Ramires has been ruled out through injury - and defender Luiz is looking forward to the occasion.

"It's always special to play with the international team, to wear the national shirt and there is a great pride and a great privilege for me to play with the international team," he said.

"Tomorrow is obviously going to be another special day for me to play with my national team and play with my home stadium. But our focus is to win the game.

"I believe Brazil needs to play almost perfect to win and that's what we are going to try do."

In a match which also doubles as a pretext to Italy's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier away to Malta on Tuesday, Italy, the four-time World Cup winner, faces the five-time champion on neutral territory in Geneva.

In keeping with his rejuvenation policy, Italy coach Cesare Prandelli could hand a first cap to in-form Torino midfielder Alessio Cerci.

Prandelli, who against all odds took Italy to the final of Euro 2012 where the Azzurri was humbled by Spain, also recalled Genoa defender Luca Antonelli almost three years after he made his debut against Estonia, in 2010.

Apart from the omission of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verrati, who levelled for Italy in a 1-1 friendly draw against Netherlands last month, there were few other surprises.

AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli, who has scored seven goals in six games since joining the Rossoneri from Manchester City in January, is likely to start up front, possibly with team-mate Stephan El Shaarawy.

For Buffon, one of several experienced heads and one of eight Juventus players in the 27-man squad, the trip will not be seen as a distraction.

"The friendly will be a good test for us," Buffon told reporters.

"We have three months to prepare for the Confederations Cup and we want to win it."

While Italy tops its qualifying group B on 10 points, Brazil does not take part in World Cup qualifiers as host of the 2014 showpiece.

But Luiz Felipe Scolari, who has returned for his second spell as coach of the Selecao in a bid to turn Brazil into a side capable of triumphing on home soil in 2014, needs results after a 2-1 defeat by England at Wembley in his first game back in charge.

Selected for that game, former Barcelona and AC Milan star Ronaldinho saw a 19th minute penalty saved by England 'keeper Joe Hart and was then withdrawn at half-time.

The former World Player of the Year has since been left at home as Scolari looks to strikers Neymar, of Santos, and Zenit Saint-Petersburg's Hulk for goals.

While Scolari said Ronaldinho may well form part of his future plans, all eyes could be on Neymar - who has so far flattered to deceive for the national team.

Brazil legend Pele recently said that while Neymar is "spectacular" with his club, "he becomes ordinary when playing for Brazil".

Several of Brazil's players ply their trade in the English Premier League, including midfielders Ramires and Oscar and centre-back David Luiz of Chelsea, as well as Queens Park Rangers 'keeper Julio Cesar.

Ramires was on Tuesday ruled out with a thigh muscle injury which Scolari hopes will heal in time for their friendly against Russia on Monday.

Italy, meanwhile, boasts a squad for these two games which, to a man - including Roma icon Francesco Totti - plays in Serie A.

Despite the available goalscoring talents, Prandelli's recent praise of Totti's goalscoring feats this season have prompted calls for the 36-year-old to be recalled the national squad.

Totti's 11 goals so far have taken his tally in Serie A to 226. In the league's all-time list he is now one ahead of retired AC Milan great Gunnar Nordahl (225) but 48 short of leader Silvio Piola.

Totti himself has so far kept quiet, but Buffon appeared to give the idea his full support: "It's only logical to consider someone who is re-writing the history of Italian football."

Scolari brought Ronaldinho out of the cold for his first game back in charge of the national side but the Atletico Mineiro forward was not at his best in a 2-1 defeat to England and has not been retained.

Real Madrid's Kaka was left out of the trip to Wembley but has profited from Ronaldinho's exclusion and returns in a 22-man party.

Both friendlies are in neutral venues, with the Italy match in Geneva, Switzerland on March 21 and the Russia clash following four days later at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge.

The second fixture will therefore be a home match for Blues trio David Luiz, Ramires and Oscar, all of whom are included.

Goalkeeper Julio Cesar is also London-based since his move to Queens Park Rangers earlier this season.

A total of seven players from the Brazilian league have been called up, led by Santos striker Neymar.

Brazil squad: J Cesar (QPR), D Cavallieri (Fluminense) D Alves (Barcelona), T Silva (Paris St Germain), Dede (Vasco da Gama), Dante (Bayern Munich), D Luiz (Chelsea), Marcelo (Real Madrid), F Luis (Atletico Madrid), Paulinho (Corinthians), Fernando (Gremio), Ramires (Chelsea), Jean (Fluminense), L Gustavo (Bayern Munich), Hernanes (Lazio), Kaka (Real Madrid), Oscar (Chelsea), Neymar (Santos), L Moura (Paris St Germain), Fred (Fluminense), D Costa (Atletico Madrid), Hulk (Zenit St Petersburg).

"I am very worried by the Brazilian side," Pele said in an interview with Estado de Sao Paulo daily.

"We had three years with (coach) Mano Menezes and did not obtain any benefit from those three years."

Pele, 72, reserved some of his toughest criticism for Neymar, touted as Brazil's big star of the future.

"Neymar, every time he plays for the Selecao, he becomes an ordinary player," Pele said.

"In all the games abroad he played badly. They all think he can solve the Selecao's problems (but) Neymar is not ready to shoulder this pressure. He does not play abroad. European football is different from the Latin American game.

"We from Santos say he is the best in the world, but he is aready more concerned with media appearances than playing for the team. He is preoccupied with changing his style, his haircut.

Pele further observed after watching recent Brazil games on television that, in his view the team, had "no structure, no harmony".

Luiz Felipe Scolari, who led Brazil to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, returned in early December after Menezes's sacking to work alongside another former coach in Carlos Alberto Parreira.

Scolari has, in Pele's view "already radically changed the team".

"But the experience has to be undertaken with new players. We already know how the experienced ones, such as (the recalled) Ronaldinho play."

Neymar, 21, has been linked strongly with Barcelona as Europe's leading clubs continue to track the Santos forward, whose contract in his homeland is ticking down with a move to Europe expected sooner rather than later.

Some reports have even suggested the deal is done, but that has been denied and so Alves has continued his lobbying campaign.

"I've been at it for ages," Alves said in an interview with FIFA.com.

"When the rumours of him making a move to Europe started, I told him he should come to Barcelona."

Neymar appears to have his pick of clubs, but Alves believes Barcelona is a special case.

"It's more than a club," he said.

"The motto says it all: they look after you, they pamper you and they always treat you and your family well. Look, it's got values that virtually no other club has, and that's what makes it unique.

"Everyone says you can't compete with Barcelona; but if you go to the club, you'll see that they work from the bottom up and that's why we've got all these great players. If you look at the signings they make, they just buy what they need.

"The rest of the players are all from the youth set-up. They made a commitment to it and the results are there."

Lampard is out of contract with Chelsea at the end of the season and has been linked with a possible move to America.

But Hodgson believes 94-cap Lampard can be the next England player to top 100 and wants him to continue inspiring his country right through to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Hodgson said: "He was excellent. I think he can (reach 100).

"I hope we'll keep Frank in England. It's not for me to discuss his future with his current club, that's for him and his club. I know he'll have a lot of offers if Chelsea do decide they're prepared to let him go.

"I'm rather hoping we'll still see him, if not in England then Europe which will make my task easier. If he goes further afield and follows David (Beckham to the MLS), it complicates matters but it doesn't mean your career is over with England.

"But the further afield you go, the more problematic it gets for the media and the England manager to follow you."

Lampard, 34, came off the bench as a second-half substitute for Tom Cleverley after Wayne Rooney had given England a first-half lead and proved a valuable old head among a myriad of youngsters.

Goalkeeper Joe Hart also saved a first-half penalty from Ronaldinho while Brazil striker Fred hit an equaliser shortly after the interval to put England under severe pressure

But it was Arsenal's 21-year-old Jack Wilshere who stole the headlines after a man-of-the-match performance on his seventh appearance for his country which oozed style.

Hodgson said: "I hope that gives them belief. We had quite a young team out there, with players 22 or younger. The man of the match (Wilshere) was 21. Theo Walcott is 22 and was a contender. It was a blend of youth and experience.

"There were also young players in Cleverley, (Danny) Welbeck, (Chris) Smalling. So it's nice they're blending with the experienced ones and seeing they're good enough to play in this team and win matches.

"The thing that pleased me the most was the character we showed after that dodgy spell at the start of the second half.

"They smelt a bit of blood, I thought we did well to survive that period and to get back on track and take control of the game again."

Hodgson was particularly impressed by Wilshere.

"I was trying to protect him yesterday, but he doesn't need it," said Hodgson.

"You can crank the expectations up as much as you like, but he's comfortable. As long as he's comfortable, why should I worry?

"I'm pleased with the way we went about our business. We didn't steal anything. Apart from that somewhat mad spell at the start of the second half we dealt well with the problems and questions asked of us. A good victory and let's hope it leads to more good performances between now and October."

Hodgson revealed he had spoken to Premier League managers, including Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson, before the match.

"I make certain I let them know my thoughts on what I'd like to do," said Hodgson. "When I spoke to Alex, Wayne Rooney was coming back from an injury and he said he benefits from playing. Smalling too.

"He was concerned about Cleverley and Welbeck who have played a lot of games for him and have a lot of games coming up, not least Real Madrid. I might have stolen 15 minutes for Welbeck, but I hope he'd forgive me."

Brazil coach Luis Felipe Scolari shrugged off the first defeat of his second stint in charge.

He said: "I'm not disappointed, we played a strong England team in good physical form. We had seven, eight or nine players who have only just started with their preparations."

Scolari, however, was confident the outcome would be different when the two teams play again in the northern summer in Brazil.

"All the England team were very strong and very organised," said Scolari. "I wasn't surprised, England always plays like that.

"Let's see what they will play like on June 2 in the Maracana. We aren't in the best physical condition yet."

Brazil's World Cup-winning coach in 2002 also backed his reputation to deliver results.

"I'm used to losing the first game but after this I'm used to winning games and winning competitions," Scolari said.

"I'm not disappointed and I'm not sad. As long as we play against strong teams like England, France and Italy we will improve our capacity."

Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard were England's scorers, either side of a fine equaliser from Fred at the start of the second half.

However, there were far more plusses for manager Roy Hodgson than a first victory over Brazil since 1990.

Jack Wilshere was outstanding alongside Steven Gerrard in midfield, and was deservedly named man of the match, Joe Hart saved a penalty and Theo Walcott's pace was a constant threat until he was replaced by Aaron Lennon near the end.

Indeed, but for a few defensive jitters immediately after the restart, England was comfortably the better side.

And for in-form Rooney in particular, hopes are high that after that deeply misguided red card on his last visit to Montenegro, England will get a more productive contribution from its talisman in Podgorica next month, when the Three Lions bid to get a faltering 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign back on track.

Rooney has netted 10 goals in 10 games for Manchester United and now five in five for England.

Three England managers had waited two-and-a-half years to pair Gerrard with Wilshere.

Yet Fabio Capello, Stuart Pearce and now Hodgson always had it in mind to use them in tandem should they ever both be available at the same time.

It was Hodgson's misfortune that injury should rule Wilshere out of EURO 2012.

It is his fortune the Arsenal man is now fit. On this evidence, fingers and toes need to be crossed Wilshere stays that way for the next year or so.

For this glimpse of the future was a sight to behold.

Fuelled by the knowledge Gerrard's wise old head was around to rectify any wrong moves, Wilshere was superb.

He does not drive forward in the Yaya Toure manner. It is more picking a moment to make a little dart, or slip a pass through static defenders.

And boy does he have an effect.

It was his astute pass that set Danny Welbeck up midway through the first half, only for the Manchester United man to fire wide with his right foot when the acute angle demanded an effort with his left.

And it was Wilshere who sliced Brazil apart with the pass that provided Walcott with the chance Julio Cesar saved, only for Rooney to calmly stroke home the rebound.

Cesar denied Walcott with another fine stop before the end of as promising a half in a friendly as England has had for some time.

That is not to say Brazil was entirely toothless.

It may have slipped to a record low of 18 in the FIFA rankings but it remains capable of causing anyone problems.

Indeed, it should have gone ahead when Wilshere blocked Oscar's cross with his hand in the area but Hart produced a magnificent double save to repel both Ronaldinho's penalty and the rebound before Neymar bundled the ball wide.

It was the first penalty save by an England goalkeeper since 2004, so Hart deserved the luck he got when Neymar slid in at the far post to meet an Oscar cross from the other side which he somehow managed to scoop over from three yards.

It was undeniably good from England - but it took it just two second-half minutes to undo all that positive work.

That Brazil's equaliser should be self-inflicted just made it worse. The look on Hodgson's face said everything about what had unfolded.

From the edge of his own area, Gary Cahill chose to advance forward.

A lack of control led to him losing possession in no-man's land, the ball rolled to Fred on the edge of the area and with virtually his first touch after being introduced as a half-time substitute, the former Lyon man fired into the corner.

More shambolic defending, this time started by Chris Smalling, provided Fred with another chance which he clipped against the bar two minutes later.

Yet England's response was as impressive as its first-half display had been.

Cahill and Walcott were repelled by Cesar before Rooney nipped in to provide Lampard with an opportunity snaffled in sensational manner, taking him onto 27 England goals and once again raising question marks over Chelsea's desire to offload him.

It was enough to seal a rare win over such glamorous opposition, with Fred coming closest to earning the visitor a draw after good work by Oscar and Lucas.

After a year in the international wilderness, the 32-year-old, reinvigorated by a spell with Atletico Mineiro, has been recalled by the Selecao for Wednesday evening's (Thursday morning AEDT) friendly against England.

Ronaldinho may not be the same player that was twice crowned the world's best, but feels he still has something to offer in the famous yellow jersey - something he is surprised to be wearing once more.

"It had not been in my plans," the attacking midfielder said, speaking at Wembley.

"I had a very good season last year so I was hoping it would happen to a certain extent. I am very glad it has come true now.

"My style remains the same. I play the same way I played before.

"It gives me great pleasure to return to Europe, having played here for such a long time. It is a great pleasure to be back."

The match not only marks Ronaldinho's return but also coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's.

The former Chelsea boss led Brazil to FIFA World Cup glory in 2002 and is charged with the same feat next year, although this time on home turf.

"There is great pedigree amongst our team," Ronaldinho, a key part of that victorious side 11 years ago, said.

"I think we have all the possibilities to win the World Cup.

"We have a mix of young players and experienced players. I am the most experienced player in this team so I will do everything to help my team to win this big aim, which is the World Cup."

Ronaldinho heads up the old guard, but it is Neymar with the weight of a nation's expectations on his shoulders.

The Santos forward is the golden boy of Brazilian football and one which Ronaldinho believes can be the best.

"He is definitely amongst the best in the world," he said.

"It is a great pleasure to play at his side and I am sure he will be the best pretty soon.

"Football is very quick. Everything happens very quickly and nowadays there is Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo.

"Neymar is still a very young player but we all have a lot of confidence that pretty soon he is going to be the best in the world."

Ronaldinho was joined at Wembley by another recalled old boy, Julio Cesar.

The 33-year-old has impressed since joining Queens Park Rangers and is one of four Premier League-based players in the squad, along with Chelsea trio David Luiz, Ramires and Oscar.

"I still have a contract here in the Premier League for four years and I am very glad to be here," Cesar said.

"I benefit a lot from playing here and I will try to benefit from that for the Brazilian national team.

"I am also glad for the Brazilian players at Chelsea and we look forward to the World Cup."

With Jermain Defoe (ankle) and Michael Carrick (hip) both ruled out and Daniel Sturridge expected to miss out with a thigh injury despite reporting for duty on Sunday night, only 11 outfield players trained normally as the remainder who were in action on Sunday did a warm-down session instead.

It also meant Jack Butland, a transfer deadline-day signing by Stoke City who was loaned straight back to Birmingham City, was the only goalkeeper involved as Manchester City's Joe Hart warmed down.

Among the 11 was Ashley Cole, who will become only the seventh England player to reach 100 caps at Wembley, after Peter Shilton, David Beckham, Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton, Billy Wright and Steven Gerrard.

Meanwhile, Phil Jagielka is calling for England to repeat its heroics against Spain when it takes on Brazil.

Jagielka helped shut out the world and European champion in November 2011, a result that proved to be one of the highlights of Fabio Capello's reign.

Now the five-time World Cup winner is on its way, with Jagielka eager to claim another major scalp.

Speaking at a Vauxhall dealership in Warrington during an appearance for the England lead sponsor, Jagielka said: "This is a high stakes game.

"That Spain game wasn't make or break but because we won and kept a clean sheet it turned into a massive positive.

"It is a similar situation now. Whether I get to play, or someone else, it is about gaining experience from a great test."

The test is certainly going to be a unique one.

With Ronaldinho and Neymar both named in the first squad of Luiz Felipe Scolari's second spell as Brazil coach, England will be facing forwards at either end of football's experience spectrum.

Now 32 and playing back home for Atletico Mineiro, Ronaldinho needs no introduction. However, Neymar, who turns 21 on Tuesday, is something of an enigma.

Other than his admittedly impressive performances for Brazil as it won a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, many observers in England only know of him through word of mouth or clips on YouTube, which tend to accentuate the positive.

"I don't know a lot about Neymar," Jagielka said. "We don't see a lot of footage. He plays in Brazil so it is tough for us.

"But we have video analysis people when we meet up with England and they will have plenty of footage for us to review.

"They will pick out his good points and bad ones. I am sure the good points will be going on for hours."

Although it had been well known the match was going to take place this northern summer, the venue for England's first trip to Brazil since the famous 2-0 win in 1984 has still to be agreed.

England manager Roy Hodgson is hopeful the encounter will be played at the famous Maracana, where John Barnes scored his magical solo goal 29 years ago, but the stadium is still to get the green light as rebuilding work for the 2014 FIFA World Cup has fallen behind schedule.

"Having visited Brazil last year I know from experience what an incredible place it is," said Hodgson.

"It is important that England get this opportunity to go and play there and sample the atmosphere.

"It's almost 30 years since England last played in Brazil, so it will be a proud moment to take the team back there again."

Scolari, who returned to the position as Brazil coach last week after he guided them to a fifth World Cup title in 2002, thinks the 20-year-old Santos forward will be a key player in both next year's Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup, both of which Brazil will host.

Scolari does not think age should stop a world-class player from achieving success on the international stage, and in doing so compared Neymar with two of Brazil's greats.

"Ronaldo used to be one of the leading figures in the Selecao (national team), and he shone for Brazil when he was only 19 or 20," Scolari told fifa.com.

"Pele too was only 17, and though he wasn't a big name at the time he became one during that World Cup (in 1958).

"At the end of the day, it's not a problem. Of course you need to have a lot of character and be very level-headed. What's more, the young lad could be an icon in technical terms, but that doesn't mean he has to be a leader within the squad too.

"That's where it's important for there to be a good level of understanding between the coaching staff and the players so everybody knows where they stand. But I don't see anything wrong with the fact that a 20 or 21-year-old player is our biggest star."

Scolari admitted he is relishing the chance of working with Neymar after coming up against him during his time in charge at Palmeiras.

"Of course, how I'd have loved to have him at Palmeiras when I was there so it's great that he's with us now rather than on the opposite side," Scolari said.

"But he's just one of the players that I could name."

The 64-year-old coach knows the ability to manage egos within the Brazil squad and keep his star players happy will be a key part of his role.

"It's one of the biggest skills: bringing together that large number of egos and personalities and making them really think about and work towards a common objective," Scolari said.

"You've also got to make them accept certain situations that often aren't favourable to them as individuals. That's the sign of a great coach, and (Real Madrid coach Jose) Mourinho has that ability.

"I can see it in his teams and see it in how committed his players are to their coach. However, it's only to be expected too that there are always one or two explosive situations."

"We cannot say Brazil is sleeping - they are the defending champions from four years ago," said Del Bosque, who led Spain to FIFA World Cup glory two years ago in South Africa and then EURO 2012 as the Furia Roja became the first side ever to win three straight major international tournaments.

Del Bosque was speaking after five-time world champion Brazil, which has won the last two editions of the Confederations Cup - in Germany and South Africa - was drawn against Japan, Mexico and Italy for next June's tournament which the South American country will host.

Spain, seeded to face the host in the 30 June final in Rio, itself will take on double world champion Uruguay, Oceania champion Tahiti and whoever wins the 19 January-10 February African Cup of Nations.

Brazil goes into the tournament under newly-reappointed Luiz Felipe Scolari, architect of its 2002 World Cup win, after last week's sacking of Mano Menezes.

Del Bosque meanwhile said that Spain had 'maximum respect' for all its rivals - including 139th-ranked minnow Tahiti, which will compete in June as surprise Oceania champion.

The Brazilian football federation said Scolari has been hired to lead the team through the 2014 World Cup at home.

He replaces Mano Menezes, who was fired last week because the federation didn't like his methods.

Scolari, a former Chelsea and Portugal coach, has been without a job since leaving Brazilian club Palmeiras. He led Brazil to its fifth World Cup title at the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.

Fans loudly called for the popular coach's return after Menezes left, chanting his name in recent matches the national team played in Brazil.

The move keeps Brazil from being without a coach at the Confederations Cup draw on Saturday, when the host will find out against which team it will play in the competition's opener in June.

The federation also revealed that Carlos Alberto Parreira, who led Brazil to the 1994 World Cup title in the United States, will be the national team's coordinator. Parreira also coached Brazil in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The winning duo will lead a team with few experienced players but filled with young promising stars such as Neymar, Oscar and Lucas.

"I wish a lot of luck to my friend Parreira and to Felipao," former Brazil striker Romario said. "We know that now we will have the best players picked for the team."

Scolari had recently turned down jobs with Russia's national team and Brazilian clubs Gremio and Cruzeiro. He had been with Palmeiras since 2010 and succeeded in leading the team to the Brazilian Cup title earlier this year. But he couldn't keep Palmeiras from struggling in the Brazilian league and admitted he was partly responsible for its recent relegation.

The 64-year-old Scolari had said his goal was to end his career by coaching a national team during the World Cup in Brazil, and never dismissed the prospect of a return to the national team.

"He was extremely victorious ahead of Brazil. He is a great name to lead the national team at the World Cup here," former Brazil great Zico said.

The outspoken Scolari took over Brazil the first time just a year before the 2002 World Cup, where he coached a team led by Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho to the title after seven straight wins.

He coached Brazil in 26 matches in total, winning 19, drawing one and losing six.

In 2003, Scolari accepted a job with the Portuguese national team, which reached the final of the 2004 European Championship and the semi-finals of the World Cup two years later. He left after elimination in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008, taking over at Chelsea.

Scolari didn't thrive at the English club, though, complaining of difficulties dealing with some of the players, especially striker Didier Drogba. He was fired less than a year later.

Scolari, who has a deal with Brazil's sports ministry to work as a volunteer to help promote the 2014 World Cup, also coached Uzbek club Bunyodkor before returning to Palmeiras in July 2010.

He will be taking over a national team revamped by Menezes after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when Brazil lost in the quarter-finals under coach Dunga. Menezes led Brazil to a 21-6-6 record but there were disappointing results against traditional rivals Germany, France, Argentina and the Netherlands.

He also failed to guide the team to the Copa America title or bring home the Olympic gold, which is the only football trophy the five-time world champion hasn't won.

Federation director Andres Sanchez, who opposed Menezes' dismissal, resigned from his post and was likely to become an opposing force to president Jose Maria Marin, the 80-year-old official who replaced Ricardo Teixeira earlier this year. Teixeira left citing health reasons amid a series of accusations of wrongdoing in his administration.

The Brazilian federation, hosting this year's final inspection visit by FIFA at the World Cup cities, began the week having to deal with news that vice-president Marco Polo del Nero, a member of FIFA's executive committee, was questioned by police in a nationwide investigation targeting financial crimes and the sale of confidential information. Del Nero has not been charged and denies any wrongdoing.

An official announcement on Scolari's appointment for a second spell in charge of the Selecao is expected on Thursday.

Scolari, who coached Brazil to its fifth World Cup title in 2002, will be charged with bringing further success on home soil in 2014.

"We have to have someone who can face up to the pressure of the post," said Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Jose Maria Marin, who refused to confirm that Scolari was the new coach.

"Will there be a coach for Brazil at the Confederations Cup draw on Saturday?" a reporter asked.

"I would like you to ask me that question tomorrow, there will be a announcement at 11 o'clock (Brazil time) on Thursday at the headquarters of the CBF in Rio. We will be discussing the new coach and the future of the Brazil team," replied Marin.

The 64-year-old Scolari is available after recently parting company with Palmeiras.

But the decision to bring him back sparked differing responses from ex-stars including Zico and Carlos Alberto.

Zico, who earlier announced he had resigned as coach of the Iraq blaming a dispute over his contract, said he was pleased, and welcomed the decision to have Carlos Alberto Parreira, Brazil's winning coach at the 1994 World Cup, as technical director.

"Felipao has won so many titles he has to be respected - and the two of them together have international experience and competence so I can only wish them luck," said Zico.

Former skipper Carlos Alberto, who lifted the 1970 World Cup after starring in the 4-1 Pele-inspired thrashing of Italy, struck a note of discord, however.

"I don't know that this is Felipao's moment. He won in 2002 - but that was 2002! This year he bombed out at Palmeiras (relegated shortly after Scolari quit)," Carlos Alberto said.

"But with regard to Parreira, he knows everything."

The CBF sacked Mano Menezes last week after just two years in the job, with the Selecao having lost in the quarter-finals of last year's Copa America and then going down to Mexico in the Olympic Games final in London.

Five-times world champion Brazil is eager that the new man should use next year's Confederations Cup to blood new stars ahead of the 2014 World Cup.

In his first stint as Brazil coach, Scolari was forgiven for a pale Confederations Cup showing in 2001 after he led the Selecao to the World Cup win in Japan the following year.

He later coached Portugal and led it to the final of EURO 2004 on home soil before a disastrous spell with Chelsea in 2008.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) sacked Mano Menezes last week after just two years in the job, with the Selecao having lost in the quarter-finals of last year's Copa America and then going down to Mexico in the Olympic final in London.

Although one CBF director, Andres Sanches, has spoken out against the decision to fire Menezes, whom he insisted was leading the squad along the right track, pressure was mounting for fresh impetus - but only for a home-grown coach.

That would rule out the likes of former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola - currently on sabbatical in New York - with CBF chairman Jose Maria Marin on record as saying that a Brazilian ought to be found who knows exactly what the job entails.

His comments have fuelled speculation that 64-year-old Scolari, who recently parted company with Palmeiras and who says he will not speak on the issue before the domestic league ends next weekend, will be given a second crack of the whip.

Five-times world champion Brazil is eager that the new man should use the Confederations Cup to blood new stars as it prepares for the tournament that matters most to the auriverde - a first World Cup in the country since 1950.

In his first stint, Scolari was forgiven for a pale Confederations Cup showing in 2001 after he led the Selecao to World Cup glory in Japan the year after.

He later coached Portugal and led it to the final of EURO 2004 on home soil before a disastrous spell with Chelsea in 2008.

"There is a very little chance it will be a foreign coach. We have won five World Cups with Brazilian coaches and I don't think it will be necessary," Marin told the Terra website.

A source close to Guardiola said on Saturday that Brazil was the only team in the world that he was ready to coach after Mano Menezes was sacked on Friday after two-and-a-half years in charge.

"The past is the past. We must now think about the future and it is the moment to analyse the ideal candidate who is going to lead a team that has picked up inconsistent results," added Marin.

During his time in charge, Menezes guided Brazil to just 21 wins in 40 matches, including the Olympic campaign where it lost to Mexico in the gold medal match.

Andres Sanchez, general manager of the national squads, revealed it was the Confederation president's decision to remove Menezes, saying Jose Maria Marin wanted a new approach ahead of the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

The news was confirmed after meetings between Marin, vice-resident Marco Polo del Nero and Sanchez.

Sanchez, who was the one to announce Menezes' sacking, said: "I think this was not the time to make this call, it's giving up on the work done.

"But I understand the criteria. It's the president's decision and he wants different methods for the next year.

"He's a brave man, he's watching the future, so we have to respect him.

"Mano did a good job, even though he had tough times. He did not leave because of bad results. If the results were the key, he would have left the national team at the start of the year, not now.

"The president wants to change the methods of the national team from January."

Sanchez revealed a new boss would be announced at the start of January and there were at least seven candidates in contention.

He did not give any names, but local reports named former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola along with Luiz Felipe Scolari and experienced coach Muricy Ramalho as the leading contenders.

Menezes' dismissal comes just two days after Brazil won the Superclasico de las Americas against Argentina on penalties.

Brazil lost the second leg 2-1 in Buenos Aires, but triumphed on spot-kicks in the tie which featured only players who play in the two countries' domestic leagues.

Menezes lasted little more than two years in the job, having been appointed after the 2010 FIFA World Cup as the replacement for Dunga.

He failed to deliver an expected Olympic gold medal at London 2012, though, as a team which featured the likes of Neymar and Oscar lost to Mexico in the final.

Menezes' first major tournament in charge of the five-times world champion ended in disappointment as Brazil was beaten in the quarter-finals of the Copa America last year.

It lost on penalties to Paraguay, missing all four of its spot-kicks.

The team's form improved this year, but it was not enough to keep him in his job and Brazil is now searching for its fourth coach since it last won the World Cup a decade ago.

Menezes wrote on Twitter: "As it has been announced, I'm not the national coach anymore.

"My thanks to all the people who worked with me on this project, specially the players that were called up during this period and all those who believed in our work."

Former Brazil striker Romario and former defender Juliano Belletti both backed Scolari, who led the country to its last World Cup triumph, to take the reins.

Romario said: "The best man is Felipe, no doubt about that. And I also believe that Andres Sanchez can't continue as general manager, Rai is the correct man for the job."

Belletti added on Twitter: "The World Cup is only seven games, kill or be killed. Felipe is very good on that. He motivates you, and demands things from you."

The Brazilian Football Confederation confirmed the decision after a meeting of its hierarchy.

Squad director Andres Sanchez revealed a new boss would be announced at the start of January and there were at least seven candidates in contention.

Sanchez did not give any names, but local reports named former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola along with Luiz Felipe Scolari and experienced coach Muricy Ramalho as the leading contenders.

Confederation president Jose Maria Marin and vice-resident Marco Polo del Nero were also present at the meeting, where the decision to dispense with Menezes was made.

Sanchez appeared to question the move, saying: "I respect and understand the arguments of the directors, but I think this isn't the correct moment."

Menezes' dismissal comes just two days after Brazil won the Superclasico de las Americas against Argentina on penalties.

Brazil lost the second leg 2-1 in Buenos Aires, but triumphed on spot-kicks in the tie which featured only players who play in the two countries' domestic leagues.

Menezes lasted little more than two years in the job, having been appointed after the 2010 FIFA World Cup as the replacement for Dunga.

He failed to deliver an expected Olympic gold medal at London 2012, though, as a team which featured the likes of Neymar and Oscar lost to Mexico in the final.

Menezes' first major tournament in charge of the five-time world champion ended in disappointment as Brazil was beaten in the quarter-finals of the Copa America last year.

It lost on penalties to Paraguay, missing all four of its spot-kicks.

The team's form improved this year, but it was not enough to keep him in his job and Brazil is now searching for its fourth coach since it last won the World Cup a decade ago.

Brazil won the first leg of the Superclasico, played between the two biggest national teams in South America and featuring only players who play in the domestic leagues, 2-1 in Goiania in September.

In the return leg, two goals in the last 10 minutes from Ignacio Scocco that sandwiched a reply from Fred, gave Argentina the victory.

However, Brazil edged the shoot-out 4-2 to take the title.

At Boca Juniors' La Bombonera stadium, Brazil dominated the early possession, but it was Argentina forward Juan-Manuel Martinez who had the first big chance as his bicycle kick slipped past the right post in the 24th minute.

Four minutes later, Paulinho's right-foot shot was turned behind by Argentina keeper Agustin Orion.

The second half saw Argentina take a surprise lead after a foul by Jean on Martinez in the area, with Scocco beating Brazil keeper Diego Cavalieri from the penalty spot in the 81st minute.

Only two minutes later, Fred equalised by deflecting the ball after an attempt by Jean.

Argentine fans thought Brazil was about to take the crown back home, but Walter Montillo started a counter-attack and passed the ball to Scocco, who netted his second goal in the last minute of the game.

That goal meant the match went to penalties but Argentina never recovered after Martinez and Montillo failed with their opening two spot-kicks.

Brazil star Neymar finally gave the Selecao the title to complete two Superclasico trophies out of two.

"To win this title if very important because Argentina have great players, great talent. We are very happy," Neymar told Argentina's Channel 7.

Juan-Guillermo Cuadrado's goal on the stroke of half-time gave Colombia the lead before Neymar scored a superb equaliser shortly after the hour mark.

The Santos striker then sent a spot-kick sailing into orbit with 11 minutes left in the match.

In Miami, Nigeria was a 3-1 winner over Venezuela. Ideye Brown broke the deadlock three minutes into the second half and moments later Nosa Igiebor lashed in a second from long-range.

Frank Feltscher got one back for Venezuela with 20 minutes left but Onazi Ogenyi wrapped up the win for Nigeria deep into injury time.

Carlos Saucedo scored an injury-time equaliser for Bolivia as it salvaged a 1-1 draw with Costa Rica, which led through Joel Campbell's 72nd minute strike.

The Selecao and the Cafeteros meet in New Jersey and the stopper is hoping to continue his record of never having conceded a goal in his six caps to date.

However, he will face a stern examination from Falcao, who has scored 13 goals in 11 games for his club this season plus five in five matches in World Cup qualification.

"To me, Falcao is the best striker around at the moment. We must take special care of him because he defines matches," Valencia keeper Alves told Globoesporte.com.

Brazil, which as host of the 2014 FIFA World Cup is not involved in qualifying for the tournament, heads into this game in a buoyant mood after a 6-0 win over Iraq and a 4-0 win over Japan.

Kaka, who returned to the national team for those games after a two-year absence and scored against Japan, said: "I felt great in the last two games but I am yet to feel settled.

"I played those games very actively, scored, assisted, but I still need more."

"We feel the lack of tough competition, the nerves of being close or far from making it.

"However, I don't think the fact of not playing the qualifiers will prevent us winning the World Cup. France in 1998 is the example of that."

Colombia is a transformed team under coach Jose Pekerman, having claimed six wins in seven games since the Argentinian took charge.

Defender Luis Perea is keen to keep up its winning momentum as it works towards a first World Cup appearance since 1998.

"We are doing our best to keep this moment up and give our fans something to cheer, hopefully reaching the World Cup," Parea said.

"We are worthy of a game against these opponents. Colombia must take profit from these type of games to keep improving."

The game will take place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 14 November to celebrate the 1000th game of the Brazil national team.

Chelsea hosts Liverpool in the Premier League on 11 November and travels to West Bromwich Albion the following weekend.

Totteham Hotspur midfielder Sandro has also been included in a strong 21-man group, alongside the likes of Kaka, Neymar and Hulk.

Kaka, who has lost his first-team place at Real Madrid, returned to the Brazil squad last month for the first time since 2010.

Brazil squad: Diego Alves (Valencia), Jefferson (Botafogo), Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain), David Luiz (Chelsea), Leandro Castan (Roma), Rever (Atletico Mineiro), Adriano (Barcelona), Fabio Santos (Corinthians), Paulinho (Corinthians), Sandro (Tottenham Hotspur), Ramires (Chelsea), Arouca (Santos), Kaka (Real Madrid), Giuliano (FC Dnipro), Lucas (Sao Paulo), Hulk (Zenit St Petersburg), Oscar (Chelsea), Neymar (Santos), Leandro Damiao (Internacional), Thiago Neves (Fluminense)

Corinthians midfielder Paulinho beat Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima 12 minutes into the game with a low shot from 20 metres.

Santos striker Neymar then struck in the 26th minute, blasting home a penalty awarded after Yasuyuki Konno took down Kaka in the box.

He added another goal just after the break with a weak shot deflected into the net by the Japanese defence.

And Kaka made it 4-0 in the 76th minute, bearing down on Kawashima before unleashing a left-footed shot.

Kaka, Real Madrid's star midfielder, was playing only his second international since the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa - having netted last week on his comeback against Iraq.

Brazil coach Mano Menezes said: "We played well tactically, the team was good and I'm very happy with the performance.

"Japan ... are a very strong team, they kept the ball a long time, but we managed to take it away from them."

Menezes dismissed allegations Brazil was playing defensive football with him at the helm - a claim his team refuted by scoring 10 goals in its last two games.

"We know it's not true," Menezes said, adding that quality mattered more than goals.

"And I'm happy the team plays well no matter who's against us," he added.

Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni, who like his Menezes was appointed after the last World Cup, said he could only be happy with the experience of playing against such a great team.

"We didn't want to let them get close to the box, but our plan didn't work," said Zaccheroni, who has coached AC Milan and several other Serie A sides.

Brazil has already qualified for the 2014 World Cup as host, while Japan is aiming for a fifth straight World Cup since its debut at France 1998.

Japan, which is leading Asian Group B with 10 points from three wins and one draw, will play its next qualifier away to Oman on 14 November.

Defeat leaves Japan dreaming of its first-ever victory over Brazil at full international level.

Marcelo, 24, has a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot, an injury which he suffered in training on Sunday with Brazil, in the Polish town of Wroclaw.

Marcelo played for Brazil in last week's 6-0 destruction of Iraq and was scheduled to continue as left-back in this week's friendly against Japan.

Instead, he has returned to Madrid to be checked by the Real medical staff.

Upon arrival in Madrid, Marcelo said: "I will be back playing soon. Thanks for all the messages of support I have received."

Marcelo joined Real from Brazilian club Fluminense in 2007 and quickly took over at left-back from compatriot Roberto Carlos. His powerful surges down the left have led to him scoring 14 goals in the Spanish Liga.

To make matters worse for Real, Fabio Coentrao - the club's other left-back - pulled a muscle in Portugal's 1-0 defeat in Russia and will be out for around two months.

Coach Jose Mourinho will probably switch Alvaro Arbeloa from right-back to left-back, and move Sergio Ramos from centre-back to right-back.

Australia faces Iraq on Doha on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) in a match pivotal to its hopes of qualifying for a third successive World Cup.

And while Socceroos coach Holger Osieck opted to scrap a planned friendly against United Arab Emirates to keep his players fresh, Iraq has journeyed more than 3000km for its pre-match hit-out on Thursday (Friday AEDT).

Keen to test itself against high quality opposition, Iraq - coached by Brazil legend Zico - turned to Swiss promoter Marc Biolley to organise the match, which will be held in the Swedish city of Malmo.

FIFA refuses to allow the troubled Middle Eastern country to play home matches after a chaotic match against Jordan in the city of Erbil, capital of the Iraqi region of Kurdistan.

Iraq is at least banking on some 'home' support against Brazil as there is a large immigrant community in Malmo.

The logistics also make sense for Brazil, which has automatically qualified as host for the 2014 World Cup, with many of its players based in Europe.

Those stars include Paris Saint Germain defender Thiago Silva but also Real Madrid veteran Kaka, who has been named to win his 83rd cap two years on from his last appearance.

The Socceroos are already preparing in Doha, as the team looks to improve from last month's shock 2-1 loss to Jordan.

With five matches to play in the final phase of qualification, Australia sits third on two points in Group B behind Japan (10 points) and Jordan (four) but is only ahead of Iraq and Oman on goal difference.

Only the top two finishers book direct qualification, with Japan already looking assured of clinching the top spot.

The third place finisher can still qualify but has to win play-offs against another Asian team and the fifth-placed South American team.

Brazil will play Iraq in Sweden on Thursday evening (Friday morning AEDT) and takes on Japan in Poland on 16 October.

Alves will be sidelined for three weeks after pulling his left thigh during his team's 2-2 draw against Real Madrid.

Alex Sandro incurred a similar injury to his left leg in Porto's match against Sporting.

The Brazilian football federation said on Monday that coach Mano Menezes will not call up replacements.

Brazil is not playing any FIFA World Cup qualifiers because it will host the tournament in 2014.

The match in the Argentinian city of Resistencia was due to be played in front of a crowd of 25,000, however half of the floodlights did not function and Chilean referee Enrique Osses decided it could not go ahead.

Officials will hope to reschedule the second leg of the Superclasico de las Americas. Brazil won 2-1 in the first leg two weeks ago.

Referee Osses told America TV: "We were unable to see properly. I wanted to ask the goalkeepers, because they are the most affected players, and they told me they could not see well.

"Nobody guaranteed the lights were going to be back quickly so we decided the match could not be played under these conditions.

"This is the first time something like this has happened to me."

The match was due to feature only players who play club football in either Argentina or Brazil.

Brazil coach Mano Menezes was left frustrated, and said: "Big teams like Argentina and Brazil should not go through this type of problem.

"We have prepared a lot for this match. We obviously wanted to play. We always want to play.

"Now we have to call up the players again for this match in the future."

The Argentinian Football Association's secretary of national teams, German Lerche, told Channel 7: "The time we waited was enough, but the problem was finally not sorted out.

"It is an electrical failure that is beyond the will of both national associations.

"We cannot play tomorrow because the Argentinian and Brazilian local leagues must be played this weekend and we have to send the players back to their respective teams."

The Real Madrid midfielder has not played for the national team since its quarter-final defeat to Netherlands at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Coach Mano Menezes has included the 30-year-old in a 23-man squad for the games against Iraq in Malmo, Sweden, on 11 October and against Japan in Wroclaw, Poland, five days later, the Brazilian Football Confederation announced on its website.

Kaka has found first-team opportunities at Madrid few and far between this season and has been closely linked with a move away from the club.

He gave boss Jose Mourinho a stark reminder of his talents with a hat-trick against Colombians Millonarios in a 8-0 Santiago Bernabeu Trophy win in midweek.

Three Chelsea player, David Luiz, Oscar and Ramires, were also named in the squad.

Brazil squad: Diego Alves (Valencia), Jefferson (Botafogo), Victor (Atletico Mineiro); Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Adriano (Barcelona), Alex Sandro (Porto), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain), David Luiz (Chelsea), Dede (Vasco), Leandro Castan (Roma); Sandro (Tottenham Hotspur), Paulinho (Corinthians), Fernando (Gremio), Giuliano (Dnipro), Lucas (Sao Paulo), Oscar, Ramires (both Chelsea), Thiago Neves (Fluminense), Kaka (Real Madrid); Neymar (Santos), Leandro Damiao (Internacional), Hulk (Zenit St Petersburg)

Brazil was on top early on but Argentina took the lead after 19 minutes when a good team move involving 12 passes was finished off by Juan Manuel Martinez's volley.

The Corinthians forward's goal put Argentina ahead but six minutes later Paulinho headed in after a precise free-kick from Neymar.

Argentina tried to defend for large periods and Brazil was unable to put much pressure on goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.

Neymar was kept in check by Velez Sarsfield's young defender Gino Peruzzi and it was left to Lucas to try to find a way through.

Menezes sent on Fluminense duo Thiago Neves and Wellington Nem and Internacional's Leandro Damiao, who replaced Luis Fabiano.

Alejandro Sabella had to take off Lisandro Lopez because of pain in his left leg, to be replaced by Santiago Vergini.

With the home fans getting restless a handball by Argentina defender Leandro Desabato allowed Neymar the chance to score the winner.

"I think the result is not just, we had everything under control but that last move gave no retribution," said Argentina striker Hernan Barcos.

The second leg will be on 3 October at the Bicentenario stadium in Resistencia City, Argentina with Brazil leading in its defence of the Dr Nicolas Leoz trophy.

The second edition of the 'Superclasico de las Americas' will get under way with the first leg in Goiania and will involve only players who play their club football in Brazil and Argentina.

Sao Paulo forward Luis Fabiano is expected to be paired up front with Santos man Neymar, and is hopeful they can make a telling impact against the Albicelestes at the Estadio Serra Dourada.

"I would be pleased to play alongside Neymar. A play started by him could turn the match in our favour," said Luis Fabiano, who has not played for the national team since the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

"He is a fantastic player. It is better to play with him than against.

"I've been unable to play frequently for Brazil due to injuries but it is up to myself to show whether I am back to stay or not."

Argentina forward Juan Manuel Martinez, who plies his trade with Brazilian club Corinthians, admits there is a huge buzz surrounding the contest.

"Expectation is huge," he told Radio 9. "The Brazilian coach (Mano Menezes) wants to beat us no matter how.

"He named the best players around at the moment, such as Neymar and Lucas. And Argentina are also under pressure to win.

"I also have plenty of personal expectation with this new chance in the national team. It's a nice opportunity for me."

Palmeiras striker Hernan Barcos was handed his first international call-up for the recent World Cup qualifier against Peru but did not get on the pitch, and is hoping that will change against Brazil.

"When I was a kid, I dreamt of playing alongside (Gabriel) Batistuta or (Hernan) Crespo, so this is a dream come true," the 28-year-old told www.copaargentina.org

"I was looking forward to being selected for a long time and it was difficult because Argentina have great forwards.

"This call-up comes at the best time of my career, at the best age. I've gained a lot of experience."

Brazil won the first edition of the 'Superclasico' last year, beating Argentina 2-0 on aggregate.

Five-time World Cup winner Brazil will visit Wembley in February as part of a two-match arrangement that will see England head to South America for a short tour in June.

Immediately before that, the Three Lions will take on Republic of Ireland for the first time since their abandoned fixture in Dublin 17 years ago.

The Selecao was back to its best after scraping to a 1-0 win over South Africa last weekend in Sao Paulo.

The pressure valve on coach Mano Menezes was eased as Brazil scpored six times after the break against the Chinese.

Chelsea midfielder Ramires opened the scoring on 23 minutes before Neymar doubled the lead three minutes later.

PSG's Lucas Moura extended the advantage on 49 minutes, before Hulk (52nd) and Neymar (54 minutes) made it 5-0. Neymar rounded off his treble on the hour mark before an own-goal on 70 minutes and Oscar's strike on 76 minutes.

The unconvincing display was greeted with a harsh reception by some 50,000 home supporters, many of whom turned their ire on Santos striker Neymar, who had a below-par game and was booed off after being substituted late on, while under-pressure coach Mano Menezes was also a target.

The host bossed possession in the first half but was unable to seriously test South Africa goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune.

The host's listless display continued after the break, prompting increased unrest from the Brazil fans, many of whom are still upset by the national side's defeat to Mexico in the Olympic final.

Menezes looked to shake his side into life with a rash of substitutions after the break, sending on Hulk, Paulinho and Alex Sandro.

And the changes finally paid off in the 74th minute when Khune failed to hold on to a powerful David Luiz drive and Zenit St Petersburg new boy Hulk was on hand to tuck home the rebound.

South Africa went in search of an equaliser in what time remained but the visitor continued to remain bereft of ideas in front of goal, with the Brazil backline never in real danger of being breached.

Match-winner Hulk conceded that Brazil had not been at its best, but admitted his surprise at the reaction of the home crowd.

"Things didn't happen as we wanted," he said. "We expected more applause than whistles.

"I think the team's performance will start to improve in the next games.

"Meanwhile, we have to learn how to play under pressure. We all play in very important teams and that give us experience to do it."

Vasco da Gama's Dede, who came off the bench in the second half, added: "We all want another reaction from the people.

"Despite everything, we won today and I'm surely will play better in the future."

This was the first of three friendlies Brazil will play at home between now and the end of the year.

It alsos face China in Recife next week, before facing arch-rival Argentina in Goiania in October.

Ganso has stated his wish to leave Santos and Sao Paulo made an attempt to sign him recently.

"We count on him, he believe in him, but he needs to make a decision to regain peace and return to be the player he was," Menezes said.

Among the 22 names in the squad, Menezes has made new additions by calling up Corinthians goalkeeper Cassio, Santos midfielder Arouca and Atletico Mineiro defender Rever.

Brazil plays South Africa in Sao Paulo on 7 September and three days later takes on China in Recife.

Brazil squad: Diego Alves (Valencia), Cassio (Corinthians), Jefferson (Botafogo); Dani Alves (Barcelona), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Alex Sandro (Porto), Adriano (Barcelona), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain), David Luiz (Chelsea), Rever (Atletico Mineiro), Dede (Vasco); Sandro (Tottenham Hotspur), Paulinho (Corinthians), Arouca (Santos), Romulo (Spartak Moscow), Oscar (Chelsea), Lucas (Sao Paulo), Ramires (Chelsea); Leandro Damiao (Internacional), Neymar (Santos), Hulk (Porto), Jonas (Valencia)

"I have never received any contact from the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation)," Guardiola's agent Josep Maria Orobitg was quoted as saying by the sports daily Lance.

"I speak frequently with Pep and he instructed me not to negotiate with anyone interested in hiring him ... I deny all of this."

Brazilian fans have created online groups asking for Guardiola to be appointed in place of Menezes, who has come in for stinging criticism for the national team's style of play and their disappointing showing at the London Olympics football tournament, where it snared the silver medal after losing in the final to Mexico.

Sections of the Brazilian media have questioned Menezes' suitability for the post, but the CBF has not yet shown any intention to replace the coach ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which Brazil will host.

"It is difficult to talk about the future," said Orobitg. "But I don't think Pep would want the Brazil job or the position of coach of any national team.

"He really likes European football, especially club football."

Guardiola left Barcelona in May after four hugely successful seasons in charge.

He is currently living in New York where, according to Orobitg, "he is happy, with his wife and children, who are already enrolled in a school there."

Just four days after its London final defeat to Mexico, Brazil was back in action and back in the swing of things, restricting its host to precious little opportunities on its way to a comfortable win in a game which was celebrating the life of Brazilian great Garrincha, who spent time playing Sweden.

Although it took until Pato's 84th-minute first to secure the victory, it had been in control ever since Internacional striker Damiao ghosted into the box unmarked with 32 minutes on the clock to glance home and give his side a lead it would never surrender.

That Pato then added a third from the spot only served to add a more fitting look to the scoreline.

Brazil had taken control of proceedings early on, with Chelsea defender David Luiz heading over 14 minutes in and then, with 25 minutes gone, Dani Alves' free-kick scraped narrowly wide.

The breakthrough would come, though, with Neymar - who had already had a goal ruled out for offside - delivering a perfectly-weighted ball for Damiao who did the rest.

Sweden was stirred briefly and could have pulled level just before the break when Marcus Berg broke into the box, only for Gabriel to get off his line quickly and save with his feet.

From the subsequent corner Andreas Granqvist thumped a volley wide, but that was as good as it got for the home side.

After the break Neymar had a run and shot that was blocked and Ramires flicked a header wide, before Damiao scythed through the Sweden defence and narrowly flicked an effort over with the outside of his boot.

Desperate for a sealing second, Neymar whipped a free-kick wide as Brazil probed and its efforts were rewarded six minutes from time when Pato nodded into an open goal after Alves' attempts at trapping the ball went wrong but inadvertently drew the goalkeeper off his line and fed his team-mate.

There was still time for more too, with Pato then tucking home from the spot after he had been felled by Pontus Wernbloom.

Pele, along with Mario Zagallo, Mazzola, Zito, Pepe and Dino Sani are all expected to attend Sweden's friendly meeting with Brazil at the Rasunda Stadium, in Solna near the capital, as well as a charity dinner the evening before.

The match will be the last to be staged at the venue before it is demolished, to be replaced by a new 50,000-seat stadium nearby.

The Rasunda Stadium was the centrepiece of the 1958 World Cup finals, and hosted the final, which Brazil won 5-2 against the host.

Pele, aged 17 at the time, netted a brace in that game, while Zagallo was also among the scorers.

"It gives us pleasure to announce that Brazil will play China in Recife as part of our preparations for the Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup," said CBF president Jose Maria Marin.

The game against China will be at the 62,000-capacity Arruda Stadium.

Recife is one of the cities hosting the World Cup and possibly matches in the Confederations Cup in November, 2013, if FIFA finds that building work at the ground had been completed.

On 7 September, Mano Menezes's Brazil team will face South Africa in Sao Paulo.

Porto's Hulk, Pato of AC Milan, and Real Madrid's Marcelo are the three over-age players in the team.

Santos striker Neymar, whose club future has been the subject of almost constant speculation, has scored nine goals in 18 games for the senior team, while AC Milan's Pato and Porto's Hulk have also impressed for the senior side.

Brazil is aiming to win its first Olympic football title and has been drawn in Group C along with Egypt, Belarus and New Zealand.

It plays a warm-up friendly against Stuart Pearce's Team GB side at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium on July 20.

Messi was the headline act in a wonderful match between the South American giants in New Jersey that saw Messi seal a 4-3 win with a superb third of the night.

Romulo, Oscar and Hulk were on target for Brazil, with Federico Fernandez notching the goal that tied the score at 3-3.

Speaking afterwards, Messi said: "This kind of triumph make us stronger as a team and group and helps us to grow up even more.

"Despite being a friendly, it is always nice to defeat Brazil. I'm also very happy with my three goals, it's not common see seven goals in Argentina versus Brazil."

Argentina fielded a near full-strength side, while Brazil opted for a younger-looking Olympic-style squad.

His side's selection policy clearly found favour with Messi.

"It is very nice to play with huge players like Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain. This result is good for and for for them, for all my team-mates."

Messi also revealed he had swapped shirts with Brazilian ace Neymar.

"He always spoke well of me," he said. "He is a great player and after the match we exchanged shirts."

Argentina boss Alejandro Sabella was pleased by the efforts of his side but understandably by Messi in particular.

"Fortunately, Messi is Argentinian and we can enjoy him," he said.

"Messi is an extraordinary player and he has been for a long time. In the national team his recent performances have been good for us and today's game was great.

"We played against a team who have a great attacking power. It was a very exciting duel for the crowd."

Manchester City star Aguero was equally blown away by his strike partner's performance.

"He does not surprise me anymore. He is the world's best player, no question about it.

"He won three (FIFA) Ballon d'Or and he is competing for another one. He will be the best player in the world until he retires."

Romulo fired the five-time World Cup winner ahead, but Messi replied with two goals to give Argentina the edge.

Goals from Oscar and Hulk put Brazil in front once more, but Federico Fernandez levelled things up before Barcelona star Messi completed his treble to snatch the win and spark celebrations among the Albicelestes' fans.

The result marked Brazil's second consecutive defeat as it warms up for the London Olympics, while Argentina made the most of a bye round in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Mano Menezes' side made a promising start and Neymar came close to scoring after just two minutes, combining with Leandro Damiao before unleashing a shot that fell narrowly wide of the post.

It was in front after 23 minutes though, when Romulo provided the finish to a free-kick from Neymar.

However, the Messi show began eight minutes later when he equalised after a great assist by Gonzalo Higuain.

He struck again after 34 minutes after linking up with Angel Di Maria to put Argentina ahead, but Brazil was unfortunate not to be back on level terms before the interval when Hulk's effort was brilliantly saved by Sergio Romero.

The Porto forward made amends after 56 minutes though, whipping in a cross which was poorly dealt with by Clemente Rodriguez allowing Oscar to sneak in an equaliser.

Hulk then added his name to the scoresheet after 72 minutes, volleying home a corner from Neymar.

Brazil's lead lasted just three minutes as Sergio Aguero, on as a substitute for Di Maria, fired in a corner which was powerfully headed in by Fernandez to make the scores 3-3.

Argentina - and Messi - then had the final say five minutes from time. The Barca forward completed his second hat-trick in a national team shirt with a stunning goal, racing into the centre of the pitch before smashing a shot into the top right corner.

The game ended on a sour note, however, with Brazil defender Marcelo and Argentina forward Ezequiel Lavezzi sent off after a confrontation between the pair.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Dos Santos opened the scoring in the 21st minute after a good move and he then won the penalty that allowed Manchester United striker Hernandez to double the lead 10 minutes later.

Mexico's victory means it completed its United States tour with three wins having beaten Wales 2-0 and Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1.

Brazil had also come into the match on the back of successive victories, beating Denmark 3-1 a week ago in Hamburg and then thrashing USA 4-1 in Maryland.

But it was unable to add a third against Mexico and will hope for better when it takes on arch-rival Argentina this weekend in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Dos Santos broke the deadlock in fine style when he picked up a pass from Pablo Barrera, beat Brazil defender Danilo and cleverly lobbed his shot over Santos goalkeeper Rafael.

The former Barcelona player then turned provider for Mexico's second goal, taking advantage of a defensive mistake before being fouled by Juan inside the box.

Hernandez made no mistake from the resulting spot-kick with a powerful right-footed finish.

Brazil tried to hit back but superstar Neymar was well marked by Severo Meza and Carlos Salcido while Hulk and Leandro Damiao could not find much space either.

Mexico goalkeeper Jesus Corona was called on just before half-time to keep out a long-range effort from Oscar as Brazil tried to find a way through, but it still trailed by two goals at the break.

In the second half, Brazil coach Mano Menezes sent on attacking reinforcements in the form of Alexandre Pato and Lucas Moura but still Mexico held firm.

Brazil's best efforts were a powerful cross-shot from Bruno Uvini and a shot from distance by Neymar that was saved by Corona.

Mexico had a chance to increase the lead in the 77th minute after a counter-attack but Hernandez was denied by Rafael.

Highly-rated Brazil playmaker Lucas, whose side is preparing for the London Olympics, said: "We have to learn from this kind of game. We wasted many chances and they scored in the few they have."

He added: "Mexico were a good test, they are a stronger team than USA and I think this game has served as preparation to face harder rivals like we will have in London."

Mexico forward Andres Guardado said: "Even though this isn't the main Brazilian team, it's always good news to defeat them."

The Brazilians used the match to study talent ahead of the London Olympic Games while the Americans prepared for next week's start of qualifying for the 2014 Brazil World Cup by facing a young squad with 17 Olympic-eligible players.

A crowd of 67,619 saw Brazil end a five-match win streak for USA, as the Selecao improved to 16-1 all-time against USA.

Neymar opened the scoring with a penalty in the 12th minute after USA defender Oguchi Onyewu blocking a shot with his left forearm in the box.

Brazil doubled its lead in the 26th minute when 20-year-old Neymar lofted a corner kick into the heart of the penalty area and Brazilian captain Thiago Silva headed home.

Herculez Gomez, a striker for Santos of Mexico, struck back for the host in the 45th minute, nodding home a left-sided cross from close range.

Neymar set up Brazil's third goal for Real Madrid defender Marcelo, who blasted the ball past a helpless Tim Howard in the 52nd minute.

Fulham's Clint Dempsey, recovering from a groin injury, came off the bench in the 56th minute and had a solid scoring chance that was cleared off the line in the 62nd minute by Brazil midfielder Romula.

Brazil closed the scoring in the 88th minute with a clinical finish by AC Milan's Alexandre Pato.

USA plays its final qualifying tune-up match against Canada at Toronto before its 18-month World Cup qualifying campaign starts on 8 June (June 9 AEST) against Antigua and Barbuda.

FIFA confirmed the inclusion of the northeastern cities of Salvador and Recife in the warm-up tournament, but the venues have a mid-November deadline to show progress in their preparations to avoid being dropped. Local organisers say FIFA has also prepared schedules for only four or five cities.

The other host cities will be Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro, which will host the final at Maracana stadium.

Brasilia will only stage the opening match, while the other cities will host three matches each.

The draw for the 15-30 June tournament will take place later this year.

The Porto forward was in the squad as a replacement for Neymar, who had Copa Libertadores commitments, but gave national coach Mano Menezes food for thought with his first-half double.

An own goal by Niki Zimling added to the tally, with Denmark's only reply coming from the boot of Nicklas Bendtner.

Hulk took just seven minutes to open the scoring with a powerful long-range shot which dipped beneath the dive of goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen.

Brazil was two ahead four minutes later when Oscar's cross into the box was turned into his own net by the unfortunate Zimling.

Denmark's afternoon deteriorated further when both Sorensen and midfielder Lasse Schone were substituted with injuries, to be replaced by Stephan Andersen and Thomas Kahlenberg.

And Wolfsburg player Kahlenberg had the first real chance of the afternoon for the Danes with a header which was well saved by goalkeeper Jefferson.

Brazil continued to dominate, though, and it was 3-0 up six minutes before half-time. Oscar sprinted into the area before laying the ball off to Hulk, who slipped a low shot into the net.

With Menezes making a spate of changes at the start of the second half, the South American ides began to relax, allowing Denmark to press forward.

Its persistence paid off after 70 minutes when Zimling's low cross was tapped in by Bendtner.

The win was ideal preparation for Brazil's upcoming Olympics campaign, with further friendlies scheduled against the United States, Mexico and Argentina.

Denmark will face Australia next weekend before opening its EURO 2012 challenge against the Netherlands on 9 June.

The Brazilian football federation said that Alves will miss playing Denmark on May 26, the United States on May 30, Mexico on June 3 and Argentina on June 9.

The matches are part of Brazil's preparations for the Olympics and coach Mano Menezes has said they will help him determine the squad for London.

The coach was yet to decide whether a replacement would be summoned.

Alves was hurt in practice with Barcelona this week. He will also miss Barcelona's Copa del Rey final against Atletico Bilbao on May 25.

"Ramires has been playing well for a while now and he has been on our minds since the start," said Brazil coach Mano Menezes.

Ramires, 25, has played 27 times for Brazil, scoring two goals, since his 2009 debut.

"People don't understand that his absence from the last two friendly matches was because we have seen enough of him, we have had plenty of time to watch him play," added the coach of a player whose last cap was against Germany in August 2011.

The Real Madrid midfielder on Wednesday became the first athlete to amass 10 million followers on the social networking site.

"Thank youuuuu. To celebrate I'll make a twitcam" wrote the 30-year-old Kaka, who at the last count had 10,012,862 Twitter followers.

He's nowhere close to Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber - who each have more than 20 million followers - but it's not a bad haul for a player whose career appears to be on the wane after making himself a global icon in a golden six-year spell at AC Milan in Italy.

Kaka describes himself as a 'Christian, husband and father who loves football' and tweets in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Zagallo said on Wednesday he is a candidate to be one of the five vice presidents at the Brazilian football federation because he thinks his experience can be useful for Brazil at the next World Cup.

The 80-year-old Zagallo said he will be able to help the national team from up close if he is elected to the federation.

"I can be useful to the team which will play in the World Cup," Zagallo said.

"Brazilian football would benefit. It would be my last World Cup and nobody else in my place would be able to collaborate as much because I have the knowledge of being there."

Zagallo won the World Cup as a player in 1958 and 1962, as a coach in 1970 and as an assistant coach in 1994.

He also coached Brazil to the final of the 1998 World Cup, when it lost to host France.

"I'm doing this for Brazil," Zagallo said.

"I would like to end my career as world champion again. I'm a Brazilian with four world championships and I would like to finish on a high at Maracana in 2014."

Maracana stadium will host the final of the World Cup being played in Brazil for the first time since 1950.

"We have to win this World Cup," Zagallo said.

"This is my opportunity, my last chance to help Brazil win its sixth world title."

Zagallo would be the vice president for the south-central region if elected.

He will compete against Sao Paulo federation president Marco Polo del Nero, who recently replaced Ricardo Teixeira as a member of FIFA's executive committee.

The Selecao took the lead after four minutes, Barcelona's Daniel Alves providing the assist for Real Madrid's Marcelo to net with a fine cross-shot.

Ronaldinho then went close from a free-kick, but Safet Susic's side equalised in the 12th minute through Vedad Ibisevic. Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko intercepted a poor pass from David Luiz that had been intended for Sandro, and fed Ibisevic. He tried his luck from long range and Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar was unable to keep it out.

The South Americans pushed forward looking to re-establish the lead and mustered the only clear chance in the remainder of the first half, but midfielder Hernanes was thwarted by a late tackle from defender Emir Spahic.

Brazil did not overly trouble the Bosnia-Herzegovina defence in the second half, although man of the match Neymar brought a decent save out of keeper Asmir Begovic and then in the final minute the winner arrived.

Paulo Henrique Ganso sent a cross into the heart of the box and defender Papac inadvertently directed it past his own keeper.

Santos duo Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso were also named in a strong 23-man squad for the 28 February encounter in St Gallen, Switzerland.

Kaka has featured nine times for the Primera Division leader this year, but has seemingly not done enough to convince national coach Mano Menezes.

"I do not have an explanation for all players who are not in the squad," Menezes said at a press conference.

"This should not be the [end of the] line, with the respect I have for Kaka - it's an evaluation.

"Perhaps I didn't see something from him that I wanted to see."

Of out-of-form Ronaldinho, he said: "When I called him up before I explained that I think of Ronaldinho as part of a project. I cannot read too much into the player's performances right now."

Santos goalkeeper Rafael was the only new name in the group, while AC Milan's Robinho was overlooked along with injured team-mate Alexandre Pato.

The match - the Selecao's opening game of 2012 - will be the first in a lengthy run of friendlies for Menezes' men as they build up for the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals on home soil, while the younger players will also be looking to impress ahead of this northern summer's London Olympics.

Brazil squad: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Diego Alves (Valencia), Rafael (Santos); Adriano (Barcelona), Alex Sandro (Porto), Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Danilo (Porto), Thiago Silva (AC Milan), David Luiz (Chelsea), Dede (Vasco da Gama), Luisao (Benfica), Elias (Sporting Lisbon); Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk), Hernanes (Lazio), Sandro (Tottenham), Paulo Henrique Ganso (Santos), Lucas (Sao Paulo); Ronaldinho (Flamengo), Neymar (Santos), Leandro Damiao (Internacional), Jonas (Valencia), Hulk (Porto)

The May 30 fixture had been announced last month as part of Brazil's three-match friendly tour of the United States, but the venue had not been named.

Brazil will face Argentina in a battle of South American giants on June 9 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the 80,000-seater stadium that is home to the NFL's Super Bowl champion New York Giants and the New York Jets.

That friendly comes a week after Argentina confront Ecuador in the fifth round of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup hosted by Brazil.

Brazil is also slated to play Mexico in the United States in June.

For the United States, the Brazil match will be a warm-up for CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

The Americans play a friendly against Italy in Genoa on February 29. They plan to host Scotland on May 26 and will face Canada in Toronto on June 3 in a friendly.

In a little over two years Brazil will host the football extravaganza but Romario - now a politician with Brazil's Socialist Party - believes it has little chance of realistically aiming for a sixth triumph.

"If Brazil keep on playing the football they're playing right now, they risk not getting past the first round," Romario was quoted as saying in Friday's edition of O Globo.

Brazil is currently in a race against time, and under pressure from football's world governing body FIFA, to have stadia and infrastructure ready in time for the tournament.

Romario, a controversial figure on and off the park when he played as a striker for Brazil and a number of top clubs in Europe and South America, has been critical of both the World Cup organisers and of FIFA.

"FIFA has been trying to override our sovereignty, they want to tell us how to run the country. There are still deputies who think as I do," added Romario.

At the beginning of November, FIFA warned Brazil to speed up its preparations to host the World Cup and reluctantly accepted to issue half-price tickets for students and those over 60 years of age.

Brazil's Sports Minister, Aldo Rebelo, vowed earlier this month that the 12 stadiums designated to host matches at the tournament would be ready "ahead of schedule".

The match is a golden opportunity for the Selecao to test some of its upcoming players for future tournaments, most notably the 2014 World Cup, which Brazil is hosting.

After crashing out at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup in South Africa last year, which led to the exit of coach Dunga, Brazil is under increasing pressure from the media and fans to put together a comprehensive strategy for 2014.

Anything short of the title on home soil would be treated as a national disaster - a scenario coach Mano Menezes and the players are well aware of, especially after they flopped in the Copa America this northern summer bowing out in the quarter-finals.

To this end, Menezes has been using friendlies to try various combinations to get a sense of what sort of talent he has at his disposal.

But with the Brazilian national championship in its final stages, he has been forced to rely on mostly foreign-based players for last week's friendly against Gabon and the upcoming match against the Pharaohs.

However, stars such as the Real Madrid duo of Kaka and Marcelo won't be figuring in the team to play Egypt because of injuries.

The 19-year-old sensation, Neymar, who is being tipped as the star of the 2014 showpiece, is also not available due to his commitments with Santos in the Brazilian championship.

Neymar, who has drawn early comparisons with Pele, has appeared in 13 of 15 Brazil matches this year scoring seven goals and his absence will deprive an expected bumper crowd in Doha a glimpse of his famed talent.

That leaves the squad with only four players who have scored an international goal for the team - Daniel Alves, who has five; Luisao who has three; and Hernanes and Sandro with one each after both scored against Gabon last week.

Porto striker Hulk is also under tremendous pressure to perform, having not scored a single goal in six appearances for the national team, despite netting 35 for his club side last season.

"The Brazilian national team isn't the best in the world, the results have shown us this," said Menezes.

"We've four teams - Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and Uruguay - ahead of us in the FIFA rankings.

"We must get to that level again."

The Egyptians are also in a somewhat similar position as far as their recent results are concerned.

The three-time Africa Cup of Nations champion failed to qualify for next year's edition co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Before that it had failed to make the World Cup in South Africa, losing out to bitter rival Algeria in the play-off.

But it has hired Bob Bradley as its new coach and the former United States handler has been busy watching domestic matches in order to rebuild the Egyptian team.

"The match in Doha is the first opportunity for me to work with the players," said Bradley.

"I wish to stress the point that the game won't be an indication of the team's future because our preparation period has been quite short.

"Of course, when you play against Brazil, you want to do your best, because they're one of the world's best teams."

The host was celebrating the opening of the new D'Angondje stadium, but the party did not start in the best way - the kick-off was delayed for 18 minutes due to a power failure and the pitch was in bad condition.

The South American side dominated possession from the outset, and after only two minutes Jonas was close to opening the scoring after finding space, but he shot just wide.

In the fifth minute Hulk had his chance after a great assist by Adriano, before goalkeeper Didier Ovono saved it, but in the 11th minute the Gabon resistance ended.

The host failed to clear a corner kick, Bruno Cesar crossed, Ovono could not catch the ball and Sandro scored, although the home defenders protested he had his foot dangerously high off the ground.

Brazil's dominance increased after going in front as Hulk, Jonas and Hernanes were all close to scoring again, until in the 32nd minute Gabon had its first chance: a free-kick by Levy Madinda which came back off the crossbar.

Only two minutes after that Jonas shot from long range; Ovono parried it but Hernanes showed up and doubled the advantage with a header.

Before half-time Gabon had its second chance, when goalkeeper Diego Alves saved a great shot by Pierre Aubameyang.

After the break things continued in the same way, Bruno Cesar created the first chance after four minutes with a long-range shot, and nine minutes after the break Hulk was pushed in the box when he was facing the goalkeeper, but the referee did not award the penalty kick.

With about half-an-hour to go Brazil coach Mano Menezes started the substitutions and the game lost intensity. He sent Alex Sandro, Kleber, Willian and Dudu onto the pitch.

Bruno Cesar had one other chance, but Ovono saved at the expense of a corner kick.

As Brazil relaxed, Gabon took the chance to create some danger. Aubameyang and Daniel Cousin looked for their goal, but they never were able to put in the South American side''s victory in jeopardy.

Both players sustained muscle injuries while playing for the Primera Division leader and will not recover in time for the away friendlies.

The Brazilian football federation, the CBF, also confirmed that Bayern Munich midfielder Luiz Gustavo would not figure in the match against Gabon in Libreville.

A statement on www.cbf.com read: "Luiz Gustavo is out of the game against Gabon because he does not have proof of vaccination required to enter the country.

"The technical committee of the CBF states that the player has no responsibility for the problem."

However, the organisation confirmed the 24-year-old will join up with the squad before the match against Egypt in Doha.

The 29-year-old has been impressive in recent weeks under Jose Mourinho after finally earning a regular place following lengthy injury problems.

The former AC Milan star wrote on his official Facebook and Twitter accounts: "I'm very happy to return to the national team.

"After a long time, the emotion of coming back is very big. Thanks to all those who, like me, where waiting for this moment."

It is a first call-up for Kaka under coach Mano Menezes, who said: "I think of Kaka as I do Ronaldinho: as players with experience in the national team, who can share the responsibilities.

"His return is logical for all that he has done in the last few months. I had always said that he would be back as soon he recovered and now he has a good chance."

Menezes only called up players based abroad so as not to interfere with the domestic league, which is entering its final stages.

Brazil meets Gabon in Libreville on November 10 (November 11 AEDT) before taking on Egypt in Doha four days later.

Brazil squad: Neto (Fiorentina), Diego Alves (Valencia); Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Fabio (Manchester United), Adriano (Barcelona), Alex Sandro (Porto), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (AC Milan), David Luiz (Chelsea), Luisao (Benfica); Lucas Leiva (Liverpool), Elias (Sporting Lisbon), Sandro (Tottenham), Luiz Gustavo (Bayern Munich), Hernanes (Lazio), Bruno Cesar (Benfica), Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk), Kaka (Real Madrid), Dudu (Dynamo Kiev), William (Shakhtar Donetsk); Kleber (Porto), Jonas (Valencia), Hulk (Porto).

The Brazilian football federation says the injury is not serious but the Inter Milan goalkeeper won't recover in time for the friendly match in Torreon.

The 32-year-old Julio Cesar was hurt in Brazil's 1-0 win over Costa Rica last week and had to be substituted in the second half.

Botafogo goalkeeper Jefferson is expected to replace Julio Cesar against Mexico.

Julio Cesar has been given permission by Brazil coach Mano Menezes to return to Milan.

He is likely to miss this weekend's club game against Catania but could return for Inter's Champions League match at Lille three days later.

Brazil arrived following a clear victory over fierce rival Argentina but, although they got a positive result, Mano Menezes' team played poorly.

The rain and the tough play by the host team made everything harder for the Brazilians.

Costa Rica had the first chance of the match, but Winston Parks did not finish well and although they dominated the game, they failed in the final third.

Menezes tried to change matters in the second half and sent Hernanes and Oscar to the pitch to replace Luiz Gustavo and Lucas, looking for more speed in midfield.

But Costa Rica was better at the start of the second half and Michael Barrantes and Parks were close to opening the scoring.

However, it was Brazil who took the lead. Daniel Alves - who had just come off the bench five minutes earlier - climbed on the right and crossed for Fred.

The ball passed the keeper and Neymar showed up in the six-yard box to hit the winner.

The host could not respond with any clear-cut chances with only Neymar coming close to scoring, hitting the bar after keeper Keilor Navas saved a header from Fred.

Brazil, who is not playing the South American qualifiers as it will host the 2014 FIFA World Cup, will play another friendly against Mexico on Wednesday (AEST).

The Brazilian was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation when his home in Munich was destroyed by fire in the early hours of September 20.

He was later arrested on suspicion of deliberately starting the blaze.

Bayern released a statement this afternoon confirming the 21-year-old had been released from custody after his bail conditions were met.

The club announced: "After an application by his lawyer, Werner Leitner, Bayern Munich player Breno was released from further detention on Thursday, 6 October 2011.

"The conditions that were associated with his release, including the provision of a security deposit, have been met by Breno with the help of Bayern and his lawyer."

The club did not say how much the bail payment was.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge welcomed the news.

"We are very happy that Breno was today released from custody and that he can return to his family and Bayern," he said.

"We are grateful to the court and Mr Leitner that they have dealt with this case fairly and sensitively."

Sporting director Christian Nerlinger added: "Our medical department headed by Dr Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt will now ensure that Breno's injured knee will be treated and the problem cured so that the player can be reintegrated into training as soon as possible."

The 19-year-old has been heavily linked with moves to Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona over the past 12 months but has repeatedly stated his commitment to his current club Santos.

Ronaldo, who played for both Madrid and Barca, as well as AC Milan and Inter Milan in a glittering career, is adamant, however, that Neymar needs to leave for Europe to fulfil his vast potential.

"Leaving aside selflessness and patriotism, Neymar has to look at the things which will help him conquer the world," Ronaldo told ESPN.

"If he can play in Europe the way he does in Brazil, very soon he would be the best player in the world."

Ronaldo made a similar journey as a 17-year-old in 1994, swapping Cruzeiro for PSV Eindhoven, and very quickly developed into the most feared striker on the planet.

If consulted, the 35-year-old, who retired in February, would be clear in his advice.

"I cannot decide for him," he added. "But it is clear that if Neymar came to me for advice I would say the best thing is to go to Europe and choose the best team for him.

"I hope Neymar is intelligent and is not just limited to Brazil."

Second half goals from Lucas and Neymar helped the Selecao claim a deserved win in Belem, following a goalless draw in the first leg of the friendly tie in Cordoba, Argentina.

Both sides played with local-based players as it was not a date FIFA set aside for international duty.

Brazil had the best opportunities to score and Argentina was forced to play defensively at the Estadio Mangueirao.

In the 13th minute, Neymar shot from outside the box and Argentina keeper Agustin Orion saved with his left hand, while Neymar failed to finish.

Eight minutes after the interval, from an Argentina corner kick, Lucas broke away and opened the scoring with a right-foot shot.

Brazil kept pressing and managed to double the lead in the 75th minute, when Bruno Cortes passed to Diego Souza.

He crossed from the left and despite the attempts of Orion and defender Emiliano Papa to clear, Neymar was able to finish.

Brazil goalkeeper Jefferson saved a powerful right-foot shot from defender Ivan Pillud.

Argentina suffered its first defeat under recently-appointed boss Alejandro Sabella, who claimed friendly wins over Venezuela and Nigeria before the 0-0 draw with Brazil in the first leg of this tie.

Neymar said he was delighted by the fans' support: "They were wonderful. They cheered since the national anthem.

"I think even the Argentinians were shocked. We tried to pay back all the love they brought to us."

Argentina defender Leandro Desabato said: "Brazil played very well. In the second half we made the game even.

"With a counter-attack, they won the game. We are happy with the second half. Playing this way is not easy, as in Argentina we've been playing games in three or four days."

"In the second half, we had more opportunities than Brazil. In the first half, they played much better. In the 180 minutes, Brazil won deservedly."

The 21-year-old Gremio player did not report to the squad as expected on Monday.

He later released a statement saying personal problems led to a 'high level of stress' that make it impossible for him to play in the midweek friendly against Argentina.

He did not disclose the nature of the problems but said they kept him from 'fully dedicating' himself to the national team. Gremio said Fernandes did not rule out playing for Brazil again.

Brazil coach Mano Menezes said he respects the player's reasons but hinted these would not be accepted in the future.

Fernandes, who can also play as a central defender, thanked the coach and asked fans and the media to respect his decision.

Fernandes made the headlines just days after he joined Gremio in 2009, disappearing for two weeks and prompting concerns that he had been kidnapped or hurt.

The police got involved, but Fernandes eventually was found with relatives in a city in Sao Paulo state, claiming he was depressed.

The Brazilian football federation said it will not call up a replacement for Fernandes, who was called up for the first time this month for Brazil's first match against Argentina in the America's Superclassic series.

The teams drew 0-0 in Argentina two weeks ago. This latest match will be in the northern city of Belem.

The youngster was not available for the national team but was expected at Gremio's practice on Tuesday.

Gremio said in its statement that Fernandes was fully focused on the team. He scored one of Gremio's goals in last weekend's 2-1 victory over Avai in the Brazilian league.

The Cruzeiro playmaker is one of four Brazil-based players in the list for the return match of the Superclasico de las Americas following a goalless draw 10 days ago in Cordoba, Argentina.

Due to the game taking place on dates not officially set by FIFA for international action, Sabella was unable to select players from outside South America such as Carlos Tevez or Lionel Messi.

Montillo told SporTV: "To be selected for the national team is a dream come true.

"Being called for a World Cup, the qualifiers or even a friendly match is an honour."

Alongside Montillo, Internacional trio Andres D'Alessandro, Pablo Guinazu and Mario Bolatti were called up.

Boca Juniors star Juan Roman Riquelme will miss this game due to a knee injury but five of his team-mates were included in the list - goalkeeper Agustin Orion, defender Clemente Rodriguez, midfielder Cristian Chavez and forwards Pablo Mouche and Lucas Viatri.

Argentina squad: Agustin Orion (Boca Juniors), Marcelo Barovero (Velez Sarsfield), Esteban Andrada (Lanus); Emiliano Papa, Sebastian Dominguez (both Velez Sarsfield), Christian Cellay, Leandro Desabato (both Estudiantes), Ivan Pillud (Racing Club), Jonathan Bottinelli (San Lorenzo), Clemente Rodriguez (Boca Juniors); Augusto Fernandez, Hector Canteros (both Velez Sarsfield), Agustin Pelletieri (Racing Club), Cristian Chavez (Boca Juniors), Pablo Guinazu, Andres D'Alessandro, Mario Bolatti (all Internacional of Brazil), Walter Montillo (Cruzeiro of Brazil); Gabriel Hauche (Racing Club), Pablo Mouche, Lucas Viatri (both Boca Juniors), Emanuel Gigliotti (San Lorenzo).

Coach Mano Menezes announced one list of players for Wednesday's (Thursday AEST) second leg of the Superclasico de las Americas against Argentina in Belem, with only players from Brazilian clubs considered, and another including overseas-based players for next month's friendlies against Costa Rica and Mexico.

Gremio forward Ronaldinho returned to the national team in August after a nine-month absence and has been retained in the group for all three games along with highly-rated Santos teenager Neymar.

Internacional striker Damiao and AC Milan frontman Pato will play no part after picking up injuries in club action yesterday, though.

The Superclasico tie is in the balance after a goalless first leg in Cordoba on September 14. Brazil then plays Costa Rica on October 7 and Mexico four days later.

Brazil squad to face Argentina: Jefferson (Botafogo), Rafael (Santos); Danilo (Santos), Mario Fernandes (Gremio), Bruno Cortes (Botafogo), Kleber (Internacional), Dede (Vasco da Gama), Rever (Atletico Mineiro), Rhodolfo (Sao Paulo), Emerson (Coritiba); Ralf (Corinthians), Paulinho (Corinthians), Casemiro (Sao Paulo), Romulo (Vasco da Gama), Lucas (Sao Paulo), Oscar (Internacional), Diego Souza (Vasco da Gama), Elkeson (Botafogo); Neymar (Santos), Borges (Santos), Fred (Fluminense), Ronaldinho (Flamengo).

Brazil squad to face Costa Rica and Mexico: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Jefferson (Botafogo), Neto (Fiorentina); Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Fabio (Manchester United) Marcelo (Real Madrid), Adriano (Barcelona), Rever (Atletico Mineiro), Thiago Silva (AC Milan), David Luiz (Chelsea), Dede (Vasco da Gama); Lucas Leiva (Liverpool), Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk), Sandro (Tottenham), Luiz Gustavo (Bayern Munich), Lucas (Sao Paulo), Elias (Sporting), Oscar (Internacional), Hernanes (Lazio); Neymar (Santos), Kleber (Porto), Hulk (Porto), Jonas (Valencia), Fred (Fluminense), Ronaldinho (Flamengo).

The federations says Fred was released from the squad after examinations on Tuesday showed the injury would rule him out of the match in Cordoba.

Fred reported for duty with pain in his right thigh after a Brazilian league match on Sunday, when he scored the winner in Fluminense's 1-0 victory over leader Corinthians.

Brazil is playing South American rival Argentina twice this month in what is being called the America's Superclassic series.

The next match is on September 28 in the northern Brazilian city of Belem.

Both teams will only feature players from local clubs.

Brazil won 1-0 but the main talking point afterwards was the contribution of the two-time FIFA footballer of the year.

Ronaldinho last played for the five-time world champion against Argentina last November and many fans thought that was his last appearance for his country.

But his return this year to Brazilian football from a chequered career in Europe has rejuvenated his career.

Brazil coach Mano Menezes believes Ronaldinho's comeback performance against the Ghanaians showed that he could still cut it on the world stage.

Ronaldinho has undergone something of a late renaissance at Flamengo since signing for the Rio club in January.

The former Paris St Germain, Barcelona and AC Milan star has scored 15 times in Flamengo's Campeonato Brasileiro title challenge and his comeback was complete in London.

Ronaldinho had a slow start but he picked up his performance in the second period and was unlucky not to get himself on the scoresheet after going close with two brilliant efforts near the end of the game.

The 31-year-old also showed he still has the skills which made him one of the most famous stars in world football by flicking a deft nutmeg with the outside of his boot to play in Leandro Damiao in the first half.

Menezes had been accused of using Ronaldinho's recall as a cynical ploy to win over ailing support in Brazil, but he denies this was the case and was happy to see the Flamengo star play well.

"He (Ronaldinho) played very well and is a player we needed to bring back to the team," Menezes said.

"International football is much faster nowadays and he found it a bit difficult at the beginning. But then he got into the rhythm and showed what he is all about in the second half.

"He played really well and the goalkeeper made a wonderful save from him. We need to bring him back to the international team."

Neymar outshone his older compatriot with a stellar display that showed why he has been coveted all summer by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea.

The Santos striker deserved a goal for his display and his perseverance in the face of overly-physical Ghana defending which saw their team reduced to 10 men with the sending off of Daniel Opare.

Tottenham target Damiao was the matchwinner though, slotting home his strike coolly after being played in just before half-time.

The victory is a boost for Menezes as he tries to move on from this summer's Copa America quarter-final exit, but the Brazil boss concedes it could have been a different story had Opare not been sent off.

"What makes it difficult to judge is the fact that it wasn't 11 against 11. If it was 11 v 11, it would have been so much more close," he said.

English referee Mike Dean handed out eight cards, one of them red to Ghana's Daniel Opare, in a feisty encounter that was settled by Damiao's cool 45th minute strike.

The Internacional striker, who Spurs were interested in signing this summer, also finished off a brilliant passage of play started by the excellent Neymar but the linesman flagged the 22-year-old offside just after he had tapped the ball past Ghana stopper Adam Kwarasey.

The result eases the pressure on Brazil boss Mario Menezes, who came under fire for his team's quarter-final exit from the Copa America.

His recall of Ronaldinho, making his first appearance in 10 months, also paid off as the 31-year-old offered glimpses of brilliance and came close to scoring with an outstanding free-kick just before full-time.

The Ghana stopper had to be at his best to tip Ronaldinho's excellent free-kick around his left-hand post as Brazil looked for a second with time running out.

The former Barcelona and AC Milan man also whipped over a teasing cross that was hooked away by a Ghana defender in injury time and the Brazilians had to settle for the one-goal victory.

A string of impressive displays for Flamengo in the Brazilian league has persuaded Menezes to recall the 31-year-old Ronaldinho for the first time in nine months ahead of Monday evening's (Tuesday morning AEST) friendly against Ghana in London.

Menezes insists Ronaldinho's return 'is not a temporary solution' and believes the playmaker's experience and history will be vital in a squad packed with young players.

Menezes said: "Ronaldinho is enjoying himself again ... he is a leader and a player you can rely on."

The federation made the announcement after being informed of the injury by AC Milan. Robinho had been summoned for the national team for the 100th time.

Brazil will play Ghana at Craven Cottage, the home stadium of Premier League club Fulham. The match replaces the Brazil-Egypt friendly that was scheduled to be played in Cairo on September 6, which was cancelled by Egypt because of security concerns.

The 31-year-old, now playing for Flamengo in the Brazilian championship, last played for Brazil in November after being overlooked for the World Cup in South Africa, when his club career at AC Milan began to flag.

But Menezes said Ronaldinho deserves another opportunity in a misfiring Brazil team which has struggled in recent months, including a quarter-final exit at the Copa America and a 2-0 loss to Germany in a friendly.

"Ronaldinho is a world champion with the Brazil team and after his return to the country he has re-adjusted and he is playing very well," said Menezes, of a player who has scored five goals in his last 12 league outings.

Brazil faces Ghana at Craven Cottage in London on September 5.

The confederation says on its website the two teams will face each other on 5 September at Craven Cottage, the home stadium of Premier League club Fulham.

The game replaces the Brazil-Egypt friendly that was scheduled to be played in Cairo on 6 September. The confederation said on Tuesday that Egypt requested the cancellation of that game because of security concerns.

Earlier this month, the confederation said Brazil and Argentina will face each other in a two-game mini-tournament in September.

Argentina will host the first game on 14 September. The second game will be played two weeks later in Brazil's northern city of Belem.

The Euro 2008 runners-up and 2010 World Cup semi-finalists defeated the South Americans 3-2 in Stuttgart with young debutant Mario Gotze delivering on his potential with one of the goals.

After finishing third in the 2006 World Cup, Low believes his side is now on track to do even better in Poland and the Ukraine next summer.

"We have got to work towards taking the next step after going so close in 2008 and 2010," he told ARD television.

"I am glad that I have so many options at the moment.

"There is a battle for places throughout the team with the really young players putting pressure on the youngsters, so that is good."

Nineteen-year-old Gotze drew parallels with Lionel Messi after his stirring performance for Borussia Dortmund in its Bundesliga opener last Friday night and he showed he can do the same even on the biggest stage as he started his first international match.

"He has extraordinary technique," said Low.

"He sees things in every direction, knows where everybody is and then delivers great passes, timed correctly.

"He takes the ball well and does great things."

Bastian Schweinsteiger's penalty in the 61st minute gave the hosts the lead and Gotze doubled the Germans advantage six minutes later.

Robinho pulled one back for Brazil in the 71st minute, but 10 minutes from time, Andre Schurrle sealed an impressive Germany victory in front of 54,700 delighted fans.

Neymar grabbed a second for Brazil in stoppage time, but Germany's victory was as deserved as it was impressive.

Bastian Schweinsteiger's penalty in the 61st minute gave the host the lead and Mario Gotze doubled the advantage six minutes later.

Robinho pulled one back for Brazil in the 71st minute, but 10 minutes from time, Andre Schurrle sealed an impressive German victory in front of 54,700 delighted fans.

Neymar grabbed a second for Brazil in stoppage-time, but Germany's victory was as deserved as it was impressive.

Germany held the upper hand throughout the first half, albeit without creating any clear-cut chances to validate its superiority.

Gotze, making his starting debut in Joachim Low's side, shot wide in the 22nd minute before Dani Alves' powerful free-kick from 40 yards gave Manuel Neuer his first test in the 33rd minute. The Bayern Munich goalkeeper chose the safest option by pushing the ball away from his goal.

Alexandre Pato gave Brazil cause for optimism early in the second half when he broke free and lifted the ball over Neuer, but the ball went wide.

Nevertheless, Germany regained immediate control of the game and Philipp Lahm tested Julio Cesar with a shot which skidded off the surface and struck the Brazil goalkeeper in his chest.

That was in the 53rd minute, and six minutes later Lahm's Bayern team-mate Schweinsteiger was given the chance to score from the spot.

Toni Kroos was brushed in the penalty area by his former Bayern team mate Lucio, and the Germany midfielder's tumble prompted referee Viktor Kassai to point to the spot.

Schweinsteiger sent Julio Cesar the wrong way to delight the sell-out crowd in the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

Germany grew in confidence and a man whose confidence could hardly be any higher had the fans on their feet again in the 67th minute.

Miroslav Klose pulled the ball back to Kroos, who in turn threaded it through to the in-form crowd favourite Gotze. He rounded Julio Cesar before netting his first international goal.

The game appeared over as a contest until Lahm lost control of the ball inside his own penalty area and caught the foot of Alves with a lunge.

Robinho gave the Selecao some hope from the spot, but Mano Menezes' side was unable to gain any momentum and Germany sealed a deserved win in the 80th minute.

Schweinsteiger stole possession from Andre Santos inside the penalty area and pulled the ball back for substitute Schurrle, who shot first time into the opposite corner.

There was time for Neymar to show why he is attracting interest from many of Europe's top clubs in stoppage-time when he shifted the ball onto his right foot and beat Neuer inside his near post with a shot from 20 yards, but it came too late for Brazil.

Highly-rated 19-year-old midfielder Mario Gotze is expected to make his first start for Germany before a sellout crowd of almost 55,000 in Stuttgart.

Gotze's sparkling performances for Borussia Dortmund have earned him rave reviews - he was compared to Argentina's Lionel Messi by former Germany player and coach Franz Beckenbauer - and he should fill in for the rested Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil.

"He is a player who brings a lot to the game, who finds solutions on the pitch," Germany coach Joachim Low said.

"He has an ingenuity with the ball and also without it - he can play the ball without looking down and he has good vision for the players around - so he's quite developed already."

Brazilian hopes are pinned on another 19-year-old, Neymar of Santos, as it looks to recover from a disastrous showing in the Copa America, which saw the team exit in the quarter-finals.

"We're beginning the second phase following the Copa America," Brazil coach Mano Menezes said before leaving for Germany.

"We're heading in the right direction. We're still looking at building this new team. We have great players, now we need put them in place and build a great team."

Germany has not beaten Brazil since a 2-1 win in Cologne on 17 November, 1993, one of only three victories compared to 12 for the South Americans. There have been five draws.

The last meeting between the sides was in June 2005, when Brazil prevailed 3-2 in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup.

Germany has all but qualified for next year's European championship in Poland and Ukraine, while Brazil will play mainly friendlies before it hosts the World Cup in 2014.

Dortmund off-season signing Ilkay Guendogan was the only new call-up to Low's squad.

The 20-year-old Guendogan, who chose to play for Germany over Turkey when he was 18, said, "I'm happy that it has worked out."

Borussia Monchengladbach's 22-year-old winger Marco Reus is also in line to win his first cap after being called up three times before.

He had to pull out each time because of injury but said he would not take any special precautions before the game.

"That wouldn't help," Reus said.

"If you're only focused on not getting injured, then you can be sure something will happen."

He added: "Not everyone can say they made their debut in a game against Brazil. I would be thrilled if it actually happened."

Low has no major injury worries, with Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng expected to shake off an ankle injury to start on the bench.

A left knee injury has ruled Chelsea defender David Luiz out for Brazil, leaving Lucio, Thiago Silva and Dede as the likely starting defenders for the match.

Sami Khedira was also allowed a rest after Real Madrid's northern summer tour. With Gotze coming in for Ozil, Toni Kroos should take Khedira's place in defensive midfield.

Kroos is one of seven Bayern Munich players expected to start for Germany, with Manuel Neuer in goal and striker Mario Gomez hoping to add to his 19 international goals.

Another Bayern player, Luiz Gustavo, could debut for Brazil along with midfielder Ralf of Corinthians and defender Dede from Vasco.

"It's a new moment for everybody and also for coach Mano Menezes," said Milan striker Alexandre Pato after arriving in Germany.

"We have to restore our tarnished image."

Bayern Leverkusen midfielder Renato Augusto said Brazil needs a good showing.

"There's nothing like a win to forget the past," he said, referring to the Copa America.

"It's going to be a difficult game, we'll see what they (Germany) have to offer."

With Gomez starting, Stuttgart striker Cacau will have to settle for a place on the bench.

The Brazil-born Cacau, who ordered 60 tickets for friends and family to attend the game, said it was 'a special feeling' to play against the land of his birth in his adopted city.

The game will be televised live in 190 countries.

"My objective is to do my best with Flamengo and if the coach needs me I will be ready," said Ronaldinho, who returned home in January 2011 after a two-and-a-half year spell with Serie A giant AC Milan.

After missing the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when then coach Dunga left him out of his 23-man travelling party, Ronaldinho believes he can still do a job for Mano Menezes's squad up to and including the 2014 World Cup, which Brazil is hosting.

Menezes, who replaced Dunga after the 2010 campaign, selected Ronaldinho for a friendly against Argentina in Doha last November but he has since been left out of squads for a string of friendlies and the Copa America last month.

But having scored a memorable hat-trick for Flamengo in a 5-4 win over league rival Santos last month, the 31-year-old Ronaldinho is firmly back in the public domain - and wants Menezes to sit up and take notice.

"It's the moment I've been dreaming of (to return to the Brazil squad). Physically, I'm in top form," he added.

"From now until the World Cup a lot of things can happen, but I believe I can make a positive contribution to the national team."

Brazil's next game is a friendly against Germany in Stuttgart on 10 August.

Zagallo, a team-mate of Pele in the first Brazil side to lift the World Cup in 1958 and a winner again in 1962, was invited to draw the pots for the Oceania zone at the Rio marina ahead of the 2014 extravaganza.

He reflected on Brazil's defeat as hosts in the 1950 final, when neighbours Uruguay stunned them at the Maracana stadium.

"I'd rather forget that one - we're the only host country to have lost the final at home." the 79-year-old said.

"But Brazil is going to win its sixth title this time," insisted Zagallo, who in 1970 became the first man to win the tournament both as a player and a coach, a feat Germany's Franz Beckenbauer emulated in 1990 in the dugout, having won in 1974 as a player.

Brazil qualifies automatically for 2014 as host.

The media was scathing after a poor match ended goalless after extra-time and lambasted the Auriverde for missing all four of its penalties.

"I know you live and die by results," said Menezes. "But these will come if we continue on the path we are on.

"Of course if we keep raking over the four missed penalties that saw us go out then we will not talk about the game we played, which marked an evolution in the team and the squad," Menezes told a news conference.

The team had struggled to draws against Venezuela and Paraguay in the first phase before beating Ecuador 4-2 and qualifying for the last eight as Group B winner.

However, hope among fans that that improvement would continue into the knockout stages was quickly crushed and overall the impression left was of a patchy side with some fine approach play but a lack of end product.

Menezes did insist, however, it was on the right track to shine where he wants it to - at the 2014 World Cup it will host.

"The players are preparing to create the Brazil side which we all want. They are valued, respected and require respect at a most difficult moment," he said.

"There can be criticism but it must be accompanied by respect and, when that is lacking, then we cannot reach the place where we need to be."

He admitted the modern game had seen smaller fry such as Venezuela catch up with the big fish.

"Football today is evolving very much. When people talked about (Brazil not beating) Venezuela, there was much criticism. But now Venezuela are through to the semi-finals. That is no accident."

And he said Brazil was a victim of wanting to stay true to its attacking philosophy.

"It is different to defend for 90 minutes than to attack for 90 minutes," he said.

"Uruguay will never play like Brazil - and Brazil will never play like Uruguay."

The Paraguayans were on the rack for much of the match but Brazil, holder of the trophy, wasted several chances and then missed all four of its spot-kicks as its rival advanced 2-0 to a semi-final with Venezuela.

'Historic incompetence', was the verdict of national daily O Globo, which saw the five-time world champion eliminated 'in embarrassing fashion'.

O Globo noted the match had taken place on the anniversary of Brazil's 1994 World Cup success over Italy, which likewise came in a shootout after a goalless draw.

Correio Braziliense was no less forgiving.

'What incompetence!' was the glaring headline in the paper, which said the manner of the exit 'places a question mark over the work of coach Mano Menezes and over his remaining in the job until the 2014 World Cup'.

Menezes, who took over from Dunga after a quarter-final exit to the Netherlands at last year's World Cup, said all along that the 2014 event, which Brazil will host for the first time since 1950, is the overriding priority - but that could not mask current shortcomings in the media's eyes.

Correio Braziliense said Menezes' insistence that the poor state of the pitch had played a major role in the exit was farcical.

"After the Brazilians' disastrous showing, they tried to shift the blame and were unanimous in pinning it on the pitch," the paper wrote.

Jornal de Brasilia summed things up by saying: "Brazil did not manage to score a goal in normal time, nor in extra-time, and, worse still, not even in the penalty shoot-out."

The same paper published a picture of young starlet Neymar covering his face at the end, accompanied by the caption: "They cannot hide their shame. It seems like a joke in poor taste - but it isn't.

"Brazil achieved the unthinkable - they were given four penalties and missed the lot."

Elano, Thiago Silva, Andre Santos and Fred were the guilty parties.

Estado de Sao Paulo daily said the 'attack was useless' and 'Menezes' side bowed out of the Copa America quite miserably'.

Brazil's penalty-taking proved even more execrable than much of its play, which saw it have plenty of possession but no panache in attack.

Marcelo Estigarribia and Christian Riveros converted for the Paraguayans while Elano, Thiago Silva, Andre Santos and Fred missed for the eight-times continental champion.

Paraguay, which last won the event in 1979, now goes on to face either Chile or Venezuela.

Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar admitted his side was not at its best but paid tribute to his team's battling spirit.

"It is difficult to analyse," he told PA. "Brazil were much better and we had to defend ourselves.

"We had almost no opportunities to score, but we fought a lot. Order and focus were the keys of the game.

Brazil forward Robinho tried to put a positive gloss on the defeat to a side with which it was fortunate to draw in the group stage just eight days earlier.

"I think we played a good Copa overall. But now we must keep our heads up and go on to lift the World Cup in our homeland," said the AC Milan striker.

Both teams finished with 10 men after Lucas Leiva and Antolin Alcaraz were sent off in extra-time.

Brazil's exit followed that of host Argentina, beaten by Uruguay, likewise in a shootout.

The Selecao made it to the knockout stage despite a slow start to the continental tournament, which saw the five-time World Cup winner open with draws against Venezuela and Paraguay before a 4-2 win over Ecuador sealed its passage.

Brazil needed a last-minute goal from Fred to salvage a 2-2 draw with the Paraguayans in the first meeting, but Menezes expects an improved showing on Monday morning (AEST) - particularly from his backline.

"I'm happy with the defenders' form except for the Paraguay match, in which we had many errors," said Menezes.

"Nerves increase because the importance of the game increases. I don't know whether or not Paraguay think the same."

Brazil defender Thiago Silva is a doubt for the match after he missed training with a thigh problem.

Team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar explained: "Thiago Silva remained with the physios, training in a swimming pool.

"We think it would not be good to risk him in training, but he has shown improvements and could possibly play on Sunday."

If Silva is ruled out, Chelsea defender David Luiz will come in.

Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino is worried about his team's form after surrending a two-goal advantage in the final two minutes to draw 3-3 with Venezuela in its final group outing.

"The Venezuela match was worrying and we will try to correct mistakes in order not to repeat them against Brazil," Martino said.

The Argentinian-born boss does not believe Paraguay is the underdogs heading into the game, but has played down the prospect of his side having the psychological edge after coming so close to defeating the Selecao last time out.

"The chances for all the teams are the same," he said.

"But having already played against them is not an advantage for us."

The 22-year-old returned to London earlier this week after suffering the injury on international duty with Brazil and now looks likely to miss the first two months of the new English Premier League season.

A statement on www.tottenhamhotspur.com read: "Following consultation with an independent knee specialist, Sandro underwent surgery on his left knee in London this evening.

"Sandro withdrew from Brazil's Copa America campaign on Tuesday due to injury with scans confirming he had torn his lateral meniscus, as well as suffering a calf strain.

"The specialist has advised a three-month rehabilitation period before a return to full training."

The two sides met in the group stages in Cordoba, when Mano Menezes' Brazil required a late equaliser from substitute Fred to claim a 2-2 draw.

The Paraguayans had appeared on course for a surprise win after coming from behind to lead, and while the evidence of that game suggests that Brazilian fans should be worried going into their last-eight showdown, Pato insisted that the two encounters cannot be compared.

"This will be a very tough game, albeit different to our last meeting. We cannot afford to make any mistakes," said the Milan striker, who scored twice as Brazil finally recorded a win in their last Group B outing, defeating Ecuador 4-2.

"We are into the knockout stages now, so both teams will be going out to win the game, but we are confident that we will go through."

Pato also put his improved display against Ecuador down to some candid discussions with Menezes.

"The coach and I have spoken a lot in training about my positioning. He told me to drop out wide more often, and come deep to look for the ball," he added.

"That is what I tried to do, and my two goals prove that it paid off."

Meanwhile, right-back Maicon, who will be hoping to keep his place in the side at the expense of Dani Alves, fired a warning shot to his teammates as they look to defend the title they won in Venezuela four years ago.

"We know that we cannot just turn up and expect to win games because we are Brazil. We will only get the results we want if we are at our very best," he said.

Maicon made his tournament debut in Brazil's 4-2 victory and was considered key in the team's improvement after the first two lacklustre group matches.

"Every time I get a chance to play I try to make the most of it, and that's what happened against Ecuador," the Inter Milan right-back said. "I hope I'll get another chance in the next match, but I know it's difficult in the national team because we are all good players here."

Maicon made an assist and threatened constantly with runs on the right side, giving Brazil an edge throughout the match in Cordoba.

"I hadn't played in two months so I was worried," he said. "But I felt good. I kept working hard to show my football and wait for my space."

Maicon replaced Daniel Alves, who struggled in the first two matches and made a defensive mistake that cost Brazil a goal in the 2-2 draw with Paraguay. Coach Mano Menezes said the error was not the reason he dropped the Barcelona player, saying he opted for Maicon to try to change the team tactically and create more alternatives.

"The team hadn't been producing on the right side," the coach said. "Maicon added the spark that we wanted, making runs and giving us more balance. It was the right move and the team improved like we wanted."

Maicon made a great run and a perfect pass for Neymar's goal in the 76th minute against Ecuador, sealing Brazil's victory and a berth in the last eight. The right-back set up his team-mates several other times before, including for a Robinho shot that struck the post in the first half.

Maicon also had a couple of chances to score himself, but his shots near the end of the match were stopped by Ecuador goalkeeper Marcelo Elizaga.

The 30-year-old Maicon has been a regular starter at Inter Milan and played for Brazil throughout the World Cup in South Africa last year. He lost his spot after Menezes took over the team after the World Cup and preferred to use Daniel Alves.

Menezes hinted he will keep Maicon in the line-up against Paraguay but didn't make it official.

"When you have two exceptional players in the position, it's easier to make a decision," Menezes said.

But try as they might to shake the tree, their rivals have not managed to dislodge them and the trio now have time to regroup having finally made it, albeit belatedly, into the quarter-finals.

Joining them, however, are five teams who are out to prove that the tournament is not a closed shop when it comes to lifting the trophy.

Neutrals will be delighted one of the five is Venezuela, reaching this stage for the first time on foreign soil after holding Brazil and coming back from 3-1 down to hold Paraguay.

Brazil now take on the Paraguayans - who came within a minute of beating it in the group.

While the Venezuelans revel in their role of gatecrashers, the Auriverde, the Albiceleste and the Charruas - the only sides on the continent to have tasted World Cup glory - will now seek to show the old guard still rule.

Yet positive performances by the likes of Chile, Venezuela's next opponent, suggest the heavyweights can take nothing for granted.

One of the Big Three will definitely not be in the semi-final draw as the Argentinians face the Uruguayans at Santa Fe.

With Lionel Messi starting to fire on all cylinders, the host should advance.

But Uruguay in the past has been a thorn in the flesh of its illustrious neighbour.

Although Argentina has won the tournament on six of the eight occasions it has hosted it and matches the 14 titles of its rival from across the River Plate, the two times it messed up saw the Uruguayans benefit.

The first was in the inaugural tournament of 1916, while the latest slip-up came in 1987.

In those early days, Brazil was less keen on continental superiority - the Auriverde preferred to earn World Cup kudos.

But recently, amid Argentina's ongoing trophy drought, the Brazilians have decided that rubbing in superiority on both levels is a cosy feeling.

While the samba stars have won four of the past five editions - Colombia, through to a meeting with Peru, bagged a title in 2001 to break the sequence - the Argentinians and Uruguayans have slid out of the limelight.

That 1987 surprise was Uruguay's last win to date, while Argentinians need no reminding that since they triumphed in 1993 the senior side has won nothing at all.

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez, a former handler of Argentinian side Boca Juniors, says he is looking forward to Saturday's encounter.

"It will be do or die and now the tournament is really beginning in earnest," noted 'El Maestro'.

Counterpart Carlos Batista meanwhile has slammed the door shut on the debate as to whether his side can or should try to play like Barcelona.

"I don't have to copy Barcelona; nor do I have to ask (Barca coach Pep) Guardiola for advice," he told ESPN.

The difference against Costa Rica was that Messi, 53 goals for Barca last season, excelled as provider, only underlining his versatility.

The duel will take place at the Santa Fe stadium nicknamed the elephants' graveyard, scene of numerous domestic shocks.

While Chile and Uruguay appear the biggest threats to have a tilt at the title, the big guns, early travails behind them, are now loaded.

As Brazil striker Pato warned after his side dispatched Ecuador, when the going gets tough, the top teams get going.

"This is where the Copa starts," said the Milan sharpshooter.

Colombia, which has not played in the World Cup since 1998, has shown off a so-called 'Golden Generation' of new players led by striker Radamel Falcao. The Porto forward scored twice in group play, leading Colombia to first place in Group A ahead of Argentina.

Chile, despite a new coach in Claudio Borghi, is playing just like it did a year ago in the World Cup when it reached the second round. Chile was probably the best team in the group stage, but now the two South American giants are lurking.

Colombia and Chile will be favourites in the weekend quarter-finals. Colombia faces Peru on Saturday and Chile plays Venezuela on Sunday. If they win they are likely to find Brazil and Argentina in the semi-finals. Argentina faces Uruguay on Saturday and Brazil has Paraguay on Sunday.

"This generation is going through a good phase," Colombia forward Hugo Rodallega said. "We are excited and want to change the recent fortunes of the national team."

Most of this team was on the 2005 squad that won the Under-20 South American championship.

"People have faith in us, in this generation," midfielder Abel Aguilar said. "Before we came here they were confident, and now little by little we are giving back. Most of us have known each other for years."

Colombia's main worry may be scoring goals with only three in the first three matches, and none in a 0-0 draw with Argentina in group play.

Colombia's star is Falcao, while Chile's main man is Alexis Sanchez. His current club Udinese and Barcelona have been in talks, with Sanchez expected to land with the European champion.

Borghi took over as coach earlier in the year for Marcelo Bielsa, who was very popular and credited with turning around Chile, which hadn't been in the World Cup since 1998.

Chile has also had problems scoring with only four goals - two against a weak Mexico.

"We've never had this (favourite tag), and now that we have it we have to take advantage," said Borghi, who took the Chile job after an unsuccessful stint at Argentine club Boca Juniors. "It doesn't weigh on me being a candidate. When this team plays, it looks like a candidate to win it."

The surprise so far has been Venezuela, the only member of the South American confederation which has never reached the World Cup finals. Venezuela stunned Paraguay with two goals in the final five minutes for a 3-3 draw.

Uruguay and Paraguay have disappointed.

Uruguay, with Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez, has not looked like the semi-finalist it was in last year's World Cup. But facing Argentina could change that.

"This is a special match that you can really feel; people are excited," Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said. "Definitely, Argentina stands in the way of our goal of being champions."

Argentina and Uruguay have each won the title 14 times. Brazil has won eight, but has won four of the last five including the last two in finals against Argentina.

Paraguay reached the second round of the World Cup a year ago, but may have trouble rebounding from conceding the late draw with Venezuela.

"We can't explain this," Paraguay striker Lucas Barrios said after the shock. "In five minutes they scored two goals. We leave with a sour taste in our mouth."

Peru has done well just to survive, playing the tournament without top forwards Jefferson Farfan and Claudio Pizarro.

That's what happens when you put behind a difficult start to the Copa America by producing a must-win and convincing 4-2 victory over Ecuador to advance from the group stage into the quarter-finals with rivals Argentina and Uruguay.

"It's important to leave the match knowing that we are better," Menezes said. "The team is looser and that gives us more confidence for the next matches."

Brazil was the last team to guarantee its spot in the second round. Just like Argentina, it struggled in its first two matches before finally picking up the pace to get out of group play. Brazil performed poorly in draws with Venezuela and Paraguay before beating Ecuador.

"We want to keep improving, that's always the goal," Menezes said.

The coach changed the line-up and it paid off. He returned AC Milan striker Robinho to the team and replaced Barcelona right-back Daniel Alves with Maicon. The coach said the addition of Maicon was key for the result and hinted the Inter Milan player will remain in the line-up in the match against Paraguay in La Plata.

"The team hadn't been producing on the right side," Menezes said. "Maicon added the spark that we wanted, making runs and giving us more balance. It was the right move and the team improved like we wanted."

Daniel Alves was dropped after he made a defensive mistake that cost Brazil a goal in the 2-2 draw with Paraguay, although Menezes said the error was not the reason he pulled him from the squad. He said it was a tactical choice to use Maicon, who was Brazil's starter throughout the World Cup in South Africa last year.

Menezes said the attack still needs to improve, but was satisfied with the effort on Wednesday (Thursday morning AEST), when Alexandre Pato and Neymar scored twice each. The midfield also received praise from the coach, especially playmaker Paulo Henrique Ganso.

"Brazil improved and I improved, too," the 21-year-old Ganso said. "I was able to help the team and that's important."

If Brazil beats Paraguay, it will face either Venezuela or Chile, who also meet on Sunday.

The Venezuelans have been the surprise of the tournament, finishing second to Brazil in Group B and going unbeaten in their first three matches. They drew with Brazil 0-0 and with Paraguay 3-3 after scoring two late goals. Chile won Group C after beating Mexico and Peru and drawing with Uruguay.

"I think Chile had the most solid performance among all teams so far," Menezes said.

The only other team with two victories in the group stage was Colombia, which will face Peru next. Colombia dominated Group A and finished ahead of Argentina, which will face Uruguay in the most-anticipated quarter-final.

Uruguay was second to Chile in its group, while Argentina struggled with poor performances before advancing with a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica.

Only four teams were eliminated in the group stage - Bolivia, Ecuador, Mexico and Costa Rica.

Brazil won the Copa America the last two times, all in finals against Argentina. The winner this year will automatically earn a spot in the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Defeat for Mano Menezes' side at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes would have sent it crashing out of the competition, but it produced a battling display to earn a last-eight date with pool rival Paraguay.

Felipe Caicedo twice got Ecuador back on level terms, cancelling out Pato's opener and then Neymar's effort, but the Selecao moved up a gear when required to do so to ensure its progress - and Ecuador's exit.

Menezes handed Maicon a starting berth at the expense of Barcelona's Dani Alves, the Inter Milan man turning in a star performance for Brazil, while Robinho also returned to the starting XI.

The Brazilians bossed proceedings from the outset but struggled to create clear-cut chances early on.

The deadlock was broken in the 27th minute when Andre Santos crossed from the left and Pato headed home.

Robinho struck the bar as Brazil searched for a second goal, with Maicon's marauding runs down the right causing all sorts of problems for Ecuador.

However, the next goal of the game arrived at the other end, Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar failing to hold onto a Caicedo effort on the counter-attack eight minutes before the interval.

Brazil restored its advantage within four minutes of the restart, Pato setting up Santos star Neymar to make it 2-1, but once again the lead was short-lived as another Caicedo shot from outside the box found its way past Julio Cesar in the 58th minute.

Ecuador may have been sensing a shock was on the cards, but when Brazil went ahead for a third time there was no way back.

Goalkeeper Marcelo Elizaga could not hold onto a Neymar shot and Pato pounced on the loose ball to make it 3-2 on the hour mark and then, 11 minutes later, Neymar notched his second after good play on the right by Maicon and Robinho.

The result left Brazil top of the group ahead of surprise package Venezuela - which will play Chile in the quarter-finals - and third-placed Paraguay, with Ecuador bottom of the pile.

"That was the game we wanted to play. We wanted to win and to take top spot," AC Milan striker Pato said.

"When we lose we all lose and when we win we all win together. The whole team played really well - it's a great result."

Ecuador's Felipe Caicedo, who grabbed both his side's goals, said he and his team-mates were downcast after giving it their best shot, but coming rock bottom of the group with a solitary point.

"We're a bit sad - we gave it all we had. It hurts. We wanted to make history but we hope the experience will stand us in good stead for the World Cup qualifiers," Caicedo said.

The critics have rounded on the team after draws with Venezuela and Paraguay - in the second match only a last-minute goal from Fred staved off disaster.

But Julio Cesar says the auriverde, which is seeking a third straight continental crown, will find its form against Ecuador - just as host Argentina did against Costa Rica.

The 31-year-old stressed that coach Mano Manezes is, some experienced names such as himself aside, blooding a young team with an eye on the 2014 World Cup which it will host.

At the same time, he says its selection for the squad means it is good enough and must show it.

"The young players who are in the team at the Copa America are experienced and know they are important for the team," said Julio Cesar, point to the fact that if the likes of Neymar are new to the international side they have cut their teeth at club level to make the cut for the Copa squad.

He concluded that the team now had to show its true capabilities.

"In the next game we have to shut the critics up as a decisive match awaits us to continue in the Copa America and we have to show out best football to get a win and underpin confidence for the next phase," he told reporters.

Julio Cesar added he found it strange that Argentine star Lionel Messi had come in for such stark criticism after his own team's slow start.

"Nobody discusses his qualities and yet he is exceptional. At the same time he was getting criticism."

With Argentina having renewed its love affair with the fans by rolling over Costa Rica with Messi producing a superb performance, Julio Cesar said he hoped that 'if we produce an excellent showing against Ecuador the praise will rain down (on Brazil) once more'.

He explained coach Menezes 'is just putting a team together and it's always a tough job to start with'.

Sandro was sent for a scan after complaining of pains in both his calves and his right knee in training during the country's Copa America campaign in Argentina.

Results showed that the midfielder had ruptured the meniscus in his right knee, an injury which requires surgery and usually takes around a month to heal, making him a doubt for Spurs' season-opener against Everton on 13 August.

The Brazilian Football Federation says that the 22-year-old will return to Tottenham, which will assess his injury further, and he will take no further part in the Copa America.

The news comes as a big blow for the combative midfielder, who was hoping to force his way into Mano Menezes' first XI after missing out on Brazil's two disappointing draws in the competition so far.

"It is a problem that I have had been feeling for some time," Sandro was quoted as saying on the UOL Esporte website.

"It has been troubling me more recently because it has stopped me practising.

"The examination found that I have to have surgery. Unfortunately for me the injury happened now, at an important moment of my career. But I will have the surgery and try to recover soon."

Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said: "There is swelling muscle in the calves and a rupture of the meniscus externally in the left knee."

Sandro has become a popular figure at White Hart Lane since his move to the club in March 2010.

The Brazilian, who signed from Tottenham's feeder club Internacional for £8 million ($12.02 million), played 26 times for Harry Redknapp's team last season, and made his international debut in 2009.

The injury could further strengthen Tottenham's already fierce resolve to hang on to Luka Modric, who is believed to have been the subject of two bids from Chelsea.

The media had already castigated Mano Manezes' side after a dull opening goalless draw with traditional makeweight Venezuela.

But they were more horrified to see another poor showing, which means the Venezuelans now look down on the five-time world champion as group leader.

'Deception and crisis' was the verdict of national daily O Globo.

"The dreadful performance of the Brazilian side once again disappointed following their 2-2 draw with Paraguay."

The paper also noted the dropped Robinho had left the stadium after the game without commenting, suggesting a falling-out with the coach.

Folha de Sao Paulo noted the team had developed a tendency to be sloppy in possession as Ganso 'gave the ball away 13 times, Neymar 10 and Pato nine'.

It was only a last-gasp intervention from substitute Fred which saved Brazilian blushes as he netted on 89 minutes.

O Estado de Sao Paulo groaned: "The team played badly again."

A commentator for the same paper said the performance was so bad 'they made supporters fall asleep in front of the television set'.

Sports daily Lance slammed a 'disorganised' performance and demanded simply: "Do better!"

With Roque Santa Cruz and Nelson Haedo Valdez cancelling out Jadson's opener the five-time world champion, already embarrassed in a goalless draw by Venezuela, was seconds away from sliding to the bottom of the group on goal difference before Fred popped up to snatch a draw it just about deserved.

"That's got to be one of my most important goals - it was important as we were losing and the draw means we can breathe a little more easily," insisted the former Lyon star, nicknamed 'Fredgol', who now plays for Fluminense.

Another nickname is 'O Predestinado' - the pre-destined one - and on this occasion it proved apposite as he swept home an instinctive right-foot finish.

Fred and his team-mates recognised they had to improve, however, in their final group match with Ecuador if they are to be seen as serious hopes of landing a third straight continental crown.

Lucas Leiva noted: "We shall have to improve otherwise things are going to be very difficult. We recognise that. We did all we could to win and then we made two mistakes which led to Paraguay's goals."

Brazil coach Mano Menezes asked fans to be patient after it again failed to convince having already failed to beat Venezuela.

But goalkeeper Julio Cesar insisted the Paraguay stalemate was a good result in the end.

"Considering the way things were going and that we had to level right at the death I'd say a draw was a marvellous result," insisted the Inter Milan shot-stopper.

Fullback Daniel Alves admitted it was his mistake which allowed Valdez to bag the second Paraguay goal.

"I made a clear mistake under pressure and lost the ball," the Barcelona star told reporters.

He begged to differ with Julio Cesar in stating that 'we are Brazil and are never happy with a draw. We always go out to win'.