Brazil’s emphatic 3-0 thrashing of Spain in the final of the Confederations Cup will force many experts to change their predictions for next year’s World Cup.
From the way the home fans electrified the atmosphere at the Maracana with an awesome rendition of the national anthem to the impressive manner Brazil outfought and outplayed the reigning world champions, this was a humbling experience for the Spaniards.
Neymar eclipsed his new Barcelona team-mate Andres Iniesta as the player of the tournament and crowned his spectacular display with the goal of the match inbetween decisive strikes by Fred.
But it was the way Brazil dominated from the start and reasserted their belief that they are the best team on the planet that will send shock waves around Europe and the rest of the world.
Home advantage is clearly going to be a huge boost next year and there is every sign that Felipe Scolari is creating a formidable new force that will be even stronger in 12 months time.
Spain have not become a bad side overnight and key moments that could have turned out differently on another night perhaps flattered Brazil. A remarkable goal-line clearance by David Luiz from Pedro and the penalty kick blazed wide by Ramos were both pivotal outcomes that could easily have painted a different story.
But make no mistake the Boys from Brazil are back in business and they will take some stopping when they host the big one in 2014.
