Dunga delighted with spirit

Dunga delighted with spirit
(PA) Monday 15 June 2009
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Brazil coach Dunga praised his side's never-say-die attitude after today's last-gasp 4-3 victory over Egypt in their FIFA Confederations Cup opener. The South Americans had to rely on a 90th-minute Kaka penalty to overcome their brave opponents and claim a barely-deserved win in Bloemfontein.

A relieved Dunga said afterwards: "We played two very demanding South American World Cup qualifiers (against Uruguay and Paraguay) before we came out here and all we did in the training sessions for the Egypt match was try to get the players back into shape.
What pleased me most about today was the fact that we kept going until the end, trying to score the winner.
Brazil coach Dunga after his team beat Egypt 4-3

"We almost paid for the lack of rhythm today. It wasn't easy getting those three points and what pleased me most about today was the fact that we kept going until the end, trying to score the winner."

Brazil looked to be on their way to an easy win in Group B, after first-half goals from Kaka, Luis Fabiano and Juan opened up a 3-1 lead at the break. But a fragile first-half defensive performance meant they never fully looked in control of the contest, and two goals in as many minutes soon after the restart, from Mohamed Shawky and Mohamed Zidan, had the Africans dreaming of a memorable win.

Those hopes were dashed a minute from time, however, when defender Ahmed Al Muhamadi handled a Lucio shot on the line and was given his marching orders. New Real Madrid signing Kaka, who had been a largely peripheral figure, then stepped up to coolly convert the spot-kick and deny Egypt.

Kaka felt his side were well worth the win. "I think we deserved the goal at the end for all our excellent play in the first half and above all for the commitment we showed throughout the game," he said. "I've got used to taking important penalties over the last few seasons at Milan, so I didn't think twice about taking this one.

"We expected it to be a very tough opening match and we're very happy to leave here having got the job done in what is a very tight group. We've got the three points we wanted and now we're in a position to reach the semi-finals."