Brazil coach Dunga was sacked yesterday following the team’s World Cup quarterfinal exit — with charismatic Luiz Felipe Scolari, who won the title in 2002, immediately being tipped to take over.
“The cycle of work started in 2006 and which culminated with the elimination of Brazil in the World Cup in South Africa is finished,” said a statement from the Brazilian football confederation (CBF).
“The CBF announces the dismissal of the technical commission of the Brazilian team.”
Dunga, 46, who captained Brazil to the 1994 World Cup, had been national team coach since 2006.
The five-time champions lost 2-1 to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
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Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo announced he has fathered a baby boy with a woman who has chosen to remain anonymous and with whom he has agreed to keep exclusive guardianship of the child.
“It is with great joy and emotion that I inform I have recently become father to a baby boy,” Ronaldo said on his Facebook page.
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Being South America’s only survivors in the World Cup has given extra impetus to Uruguay’s bid to capture its nation’s third trophy, players said.
After all the talk of Europe’s demise and South America’s dominance in the early stage of the World Cup, Uruguay surprisingly is the region’s only representative in the semifinals. The other three teams are European. La Celeste will play the Netherlands tomorrow in Johannesburg.
“Above all, we will play for our country, our people. But after that we know we are representing our continent as well. It is a huge source of pride,” striker Edinson Cavani said.
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Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas said teammate Pepe Reina should take the credit for his crucial save on Oscar Cardozo‘s penalty kick in the quarterfinal win over Paraguay.
“Reina told me where Cardozo liked to hit his penalties,” said Casillas.
Liverpool goalkeeper Reina, who was beaten twice from the penalty spot by the Paraguayan striker in Benfica’s Europa League quarterfinal win last season, knew that Cardozo’s preference was to hit them to the left of the goalkeeper.
