Category: Brazil

Brazilian goalkeeper lets ball roll under his foot for an own goal

Macae goalkeeper Rafael Silva discovered what happens when playing it cool goes wrong in the 10th minute of his side’s Brazilian Serie B match against Botafogo. He tried to casually stop a simple backpass with his foot, but the ball rolled right under his bare minimum effort for an own goal that even seemed to embarrass the other team.

Botafogo went on to win 2-1, so, yeah, this was pretty bad.

Thanks to Ryan Lloyd for the tip!

Santos’ Ricardo Oliveira somehow hits the crossbar from point-blank range

Santos’ 35-year-old striker Ricardo Oliveira is leading the Brazilian top flight in goals this season, and yet, he still managed a truly remarkable miss.

In what would be a scoreless draw with Atletico Paranaense, Oliveira had one attempt saved, setting him up for a golden second chance with the keeper on the ground. And even though he was only a couple of feet away from the net, Oliveira launched the ball up off the crossbar and back towards midfield.

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Kaka’s inclusion in Brazil squad shows marketers still in control of the team

Orlando City midfielder Kaka has been called up to the Brazilian national team for a pair of friendlies against Costa Rica and the United States, making him the first MLS player to get a Brazil call-up.

Good for him, right? With nine goals in 22 appearances, he’s been playing well and Brazil manager Dunga justified the decision by explaining the need for experience. From ESPN FC:

“Kaka is a reference, like Robinho before him,” Dunga said during his news conference, stressing the need for youth and experience. “He gives us experience and maturity when times are difficult, when we need it off the field and on.

“We need to bring in young players to give them experience and have older players there to help them.”

But what makes the decision suspicious is the fact that 33-year-old Kaka, who has great memories but little future with the team, replaces 23-year-old Liverpool midfielder Coutinho, who could be vital to Brazil’s future. And there’s the coincidence that both matches will be played in the U.S., where Kaka is a far bigger draw than Coutinho, especially now that he plays in MLS and is coming off an MVP performance in the league’s All-Star Game.

Sadly, this information falls into line with the recent investigation by Brazilian journalist Jamil Chade that revealed the contractual influence of marketing firm ISE on team selection, removing all concern for player development in favor of pure profit generation.

It’s not just business interests damaging Brazil, though. Dunga is ensuring that personal biases play a role, too. He also excluded Thiago Silva, whom he stripped of the captaincy upon returning to the job, in favor of 24-year-old Arsenal bench warmer Gabriel Paulista.

So if you’re still wondering how a nation with so much talent can disappoint at major tournaments like Brazil have been doing in recent years, here’s your answer.

Brazilian footballer launches a cross into a pitchside ambulance,

Ponte Preta’s Roni came off the bench in the 74th minute of his side’s Brasileiro match against Goias. It was scoreless and Roni knew he had to do something to bring the match to life. So he kicked the ball well over the goal and into the open window of a pitchside ambulance, giving the driver a surprise.

The match still ended 0-0, but Roni gave the fans their money’s worth with this one.

Brazilian match turns into a war zone as military police battle rioting fans

The conclusion of the Campeonato Cearense final gave way to a riot on the match, prompting military police to fire rubber bullets and tear gas at fans who invaded the pitch.

After winning the first leg of the final 2-1, Fortaleza sealed the title with a dramatic 2-2 draw in the second leg. Ceara scored in the 90th minute, but Fortaleza came up with the decisive goal during injury time, prompting both sets of fans to flood the pitch at the Castelao, Ceara’s home ground, which was renovated for the 2014 World Cup.

With fans throwing broken seats at each other, the military police moved in with their weaponry, forcing the pitch invaders to flee to the opposite end of the stadium.

And now it’s time for more renovations.

DTotD: Flamengo player only shown a yellow for kicking opponent in the shoulder

Vasco da Gama and Flamengo played to a scoreless draw on Sunday, but just because there were no goals does not mean there were no near decapitations. Flamengo’s Jonas demonstrated his violent flexibility in the 11th minute, planting his studs into an opponent’s shoulder.

Even more incredibly though, was the fact that he was only shown a yellow card for his very dangerous high boot.

This has been the Dirty Tackle of the Day: a chronicling of unfortunate events. 

Flamengo manager one-ups Mourinho, puts tape over his mouth during press conference

News of a Portuguese speaking former Real Madrid manager covering his mouth with tape in protest against being suspended for something he had said probably has Jose Mourinho’s name at the forefront of your mind, but it actually wasn’t him. It was Flamengo manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo, who apparently feels the same way about the Rio de Janeiro state football federation as Mourinho does about the FA.

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