Stade ghosts haunt Brazil

SAO PAULO: Brazilians fear their football team will struggle to beat the United States after losing 1-0 to Cameroon in their first match of the Confederations Cup on Thursday. The world champions’ performance against Cameroon was “mediocre and sleepy” and they deserved to lose, ranted local newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo. “With a bureaucratic and scared performance, the Brazilian team made an awful impression,” said another newspaper, O Globo. The match was played in the Stade de France stadium in Paris were Brazil famously lost the World Cup final to the French in 1998. Many were quick to draw comparisons between that match and Thursday’s fiasco. “Brazil was again haunted by the ghosts that paralysed them five years ago,” O Estado said. There wasn’t much praise for the Cameroon side in what was roundly described as a poor match. But Brazilians acknowledged the Cameroon defence was sturdy, their counter attacks were fast, and many admitted the Africans deserved to win. Brazil’s next match will be against the US in Lyon today. Both teams need a win to maintain chances of qualifying for the next round.