Brazil demolish Argentina to win eighth Copa America

MARACAIBO, Venezuela, July 16, 2007 (AFP) - Brazil stunned bitter rivals and overwhelming favourites Argentina 3-0 to win their eighth Copa America title on Sunday.

It was the second successive title for the Brazilians and was sweet justification for coach Dunga, who was without superstars Ronaldinho and Kaka, and who had been the target of vitriolic criticism for overseeing a workmanlike rather than traditionally wondrous side.

Argentina, chasing a record 15th title, were outplayed in every department as the sparkling form they showed in the run-up to the final deserted them and deprived coach Alfio Basile of a second Copa having overseen the team's last win in 1993.

Julio Baptista scored his third goal in three games at the tournament when he gave Brazil the lead after just four minutes.

The striker, unwanted by Arsenal, picked up a long ball from Elano, who had replaced suspended skipper Gilberto Silva, and controlled it neatly.

He turned to the right of Argentina skipper Roberto Ayala and fired a fierce right-foot drive into the top corner of Roberto Abbondanzieri's goal.

Five minutes later, Argentina were unfortunate not to be back on level terms.

A cushioned header from Juan Sebastian Veron found Juan Roman Riquelme in space but the playmaker's left-foot shot came off the post with goalkeeper Doni well beaten.

At the other end, Abbondanzieri saved from Maicon to keep the deficit down while opposite number Doni was also alert to danger when he thwarted another Riquelme effort 10 minutes from half-time.

Luck was certainly on Brazil's side and they went 2-0 ahead in the 40th minute when a right-wing cross from substitute Daniel Alves was turned into his own goal by Ayala whose 115th international appearance was slowly turning into a nightmare.

Argentina continued to struggle to make any impact at the start of the second half as the likes of Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi were marked out of the game by well-organised opponents with central defenders Juan and Alex particularly solid.

Brazil earned the reward for their superiority with a memorable third goal after 69 minutes.

Vagner Love broke free down the left and slotted an inch-perfect pass between two defenders where Alves, who plays his club football in Spain with Sevilla, was waiting.

The substitite made no mistake with a low drive into the corner past Abbondanzieri to score his first international goal.

Argentina's miserable night was summed up when Messi had an 80th-minute effort ruled out for offside.

Javier Saviola

"I am grateful to the Club for their confidence and I will do my best to thrill the fans"


Javier Pedro Saviola was officially presented as Real Madrid's new player after the signing of his contract. Approximately 2,000 fans went to the Santiago Bernabéu to give him a warm welcome. The player expressed his happiness with joining the Club.


After his early medical check-up at 9 am and the signing of his contract, Javier Saviola was presented as Real Madrid's new signing for the next four seasons in the Presidential Balcony of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

He arrived with the President at 1 pm and was greeted by fellow Argentine Alfredo Di Stéfano. Board Members Amador Suárez, Luís Bárcena, Luís Guerrero, Melchor Miralles, José Manuel Serrano, Antonio Serrano, Miguel Ángel Arrroyo -Director General of the President's Office- and Pedja Mijatovic sat in the front row during the presentation act.


Close to 2,000 fans sat in the south stand of the stadium and gave the player a very warm welcome. Saviola in turn gratefully waved back at them. The President then took the stand and gave a brief speech.

RAMÓN CALDERÓN: "He is destined for success"
"Good morning to all. To put an end to this intense week full of official presentations we have brought here a great player who is destined to be successful at this Club. His name is Javier Pedro Saviola. He is only 25 years old and was born in Buenos Aires. One of his grandmothers is Spanish. He has characteristics greatly valued at this Club, such as an impressive goal-scoring instinct, great quality, drive, courage and a hard working attitude. I am sure he will give us many unforgettable evenings at this stadium."

Following these opening words, the President summarised Saviola's track-record. "He joined River Plate when he was 8, playing for all the youth systems until he reached the first team. He became the youngest player in the history of Argentina's First Division football when he made his official debut, in which he scored a goal. "Sports newspaper Olé's headline the following day was: 'Star in his debut'. He is till a star and will continue being so here."



"He won the Apertura and Clausura Tournaments in 1999 and 2000, respectively, with River Plate. He was destined to play in Europe and he came over in 2001. He is going to be very successfull here. He won the Silver Medal with Argentina in the Olympic Games of Athens and won the Argentina Under-20 World Cup, becoming the competition's top-scorer and best player."

"I am sure we at Real Madrid are going to enjoy watching him play. Javier, I welcome you to your new home."

SAVIOLA: "I have great responsibility"
"I would like to thank the President for his kind words and those who have faith in me. I wish to have many great seasons at this important Club. I have great responsibility being here, but I'm sure we will form a good team and that people will enjoy my football."

Following his brief speech, Ramón Calderón and Alfredo Di Stéfano gave Saviola a shirt with his name amidst the cheers of the thousands of fans at the stadium.

You can find here a number of interesting achievements of Real Madrid C.F.

The president - The biggest trophies winner Santiago Bernabeu 1943 - 1978

The coach - The biggest trophies winner Miguel Munoz 1960 - 1974

Number of wins in Spanish League 29

The biggest advantage between the first and the second team in La Liga at the end of season 12 points

The fastest Spanish League title won 5 games before end

The biggest away win Saragossa - Real 1 : 7

The biggest home win Real - Elche 11 : 2

The most games without a goal conceded in row 7 games 84/85

The fewest goals conceded home in entire season 5 goals 31/32

The most goals scored home in entire season 78 goals 89/90

The most goals scored in entire season 107 goals 89/90

Seasons in which Real Madrid won all home games 3 seasons 59/60; 62/63; 85/86

The most games without losing at home (period of time) 2940 days - 8 years 8 days

Number of seasons without losing at home 23 seasons

Unbeaten for the longest period of time at home 121 games 56/57 to 64/65

The most draws in season 15 games 78/79

The most games won in row (away) 7 games 60/61

The most games won in row (home) 24 games 88/89 to 89/90

The most wins away in season 11 games 86/87

The most games won in row 15 games 60/61

The most games won in season 28 games 87/88

The most games won at home in season 18 games 87/88

The longest winning streak 27 games 68/69 & 88/89

The German passed his physical with flying colours and will be presented on Wednesday

Two days after landing in Madrid, Christoph Metzelder was at Sanitas La Moraleja Hospital to undergo the required physical. The German defender passed with flying colours and will be the first new player of the Schuster era. Metzelder will be officially presented on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.


Christoph Metzelder landed at Madrid's Barajas International Airport on Sunday at 3:45 pm CET ready to become the second signing of the week after Ramón Calderón's presentation of Bernd Schuster as the new coach of Real Madrid on Monday. The defender's first stop since his arrival in Spain was the Mirasierra Suites Hotel, where he is staying until his official presentation on Wednesday. Today he had an appointment at the Sanitas La Moraleja Hospital to undergo the required physical to show that he is in optimum playing form.

As expected, Metzelder passed every test he underwent under the supervision of Doctor Alfonso Del Corral, Chief of Real Madrid's Medical Services. The physical included locomotor skills tests, blood and biochemistry analysis, cardiorespiratory tests, and x-rays. The results showed that the player is in perfect health.

Following the check-up, Dr. del Corral commented, “We ran a variety of tests. What worried us the most were the two operations he had on his Achilles Tendon. He's a player who has been playing for both his national team and team, and he is fit to play for Real Madrid. However, he is a player that we will have to keep a close eye on due to the surgeries he has undergone.”

The Chief of Real Madrid's Medical Services did, however, clarify that it's just a matter of watching out for the player in order to prevent any possible injuries. “I can confirm that his Achilles Tendon is fine although it's been operated on twice. He shouldn't have any problems. Of course, as goes for any athlete, but especially one that undergoes the rigors of Real Madrid, he is at risk of being injured, but we will stay on top of him to avoid any relapse. He is perfectly capable of playing for Real Madrid.”