Brazil hand Iran friendly defeat in Abu Dhabi
Brazil coach Mano Menezes got his second friendly win on Thursday, as his team defeated Iran 3–0 in Abu Dhabi.
Goals from Daniel Alves, Alexandre Pato and Nilmar Honorato da Silva secured the win in Thursday's one-sided display.
"I want to see Brazil play a beautiful game again," Menezes, who has introduced several new names to the national team, said after the game. "We haven't closed the door on anybody, but for now we have to see new players, we have to."
Iran opened brightly as Mohammed Gholami had his fifth-minute strike ruled out for offside, before
Alves put Brazil ahead in the 14th minute with a brilliantly struck free kick.
The Barcelona full-back lined up to hit the ball 30 yards from the goal after Pato was fouled, and his curled effort flew high towards the near post, striking the upright on its way into the net.
Shortly after the goal, Pato had a shot cleared off the line by the Iranian defence before Robinho, another AC Milan striker, hit the post with 20 minutes played.
Iran were not without chances, as Javad Nekounam got a chance to equalise three minutes into the second half. Hossein Kaebi hit an outswinging free kick from the right wing that the Brazilian defence could not clear, and Nekounam got on the end of the loose
ball, lifting it over Mehdi Rahmati towards the far post.
Unlike the scene at Brazil's first goal, though, the ball went back into play after Ramires Santos do Nascimento cleared it off the line.
Brazil strikers put the game beyond doubt
Pato made his case for a starting place at his club team AC Milan in the 69th minute. He received a pass on the edge of the area and brought it with him in the same movement, smashing a high shot past Rahmati as he approached from the Iranian goal.
Brazil came close to adding another goal when Nilmar was teed up by Andre Santos in the 84th minute, but the striker was soon to make up for the miss. In stoppage time, the striker capped off a fine move as his team got a deserved third goal.
Giuliano Victor de Paula received the ball on the left wing, catching up with it just before the byline, hitting a long cross towards the far post that Chelsea target Nilmar volleyed in for his eighth international goal.
Brazil will now travel to face the Ukraine on Monday evening, while Iran will not play another game until January, when Afshin Ghotbi's team enters the Asian Cup with a fixture against Iraq.
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