Fred put Brazil on the board less than two minutes into the match, Neymar added to the lead just before half-time and Fred netted his fifth goal in five matches early in the second half to give Brazil victory. The win for the host nation was surprisingly easy against the current world champion.
Sergio Ramos missed a penalty kick for Spain in the 55th, sending his low shot wide.
Spain defender Gerard Pique was sent off with a straight red card for fouling Neymar in the 68th.
Brazil came in hoping a victory would help it regain its status as a global powerhouse after recent struggles. Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals in the last two World Cups and hadn’t won a significant title since the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa.
“The champion is back,” chanted the crowd of more than 73,000 people at the renovated Maracana.
It also didn’t take long before the fans in a sea of yellow jerseys started teasing the Spaniards, chanting “Wanna play, wanna play!? Brazil will teach you.”
The title gives Brazilian fans hope that the five-time world champions have a chance to win the World Cup title next year, although no Confederations Cup champion has ever won football’s showcase event the following year.
“We beat the world champions today, but we know that the tournament that we will be playing next year will be a lot more difficult,” Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. “Now we have more confidence, that’s what we needed.”
The Brazilian players huddled after the final whistle and started singing and jumping, then went toward the crowd near the sidelines and began celebrating. David Luiz kneeled down and raised both of his hands into the air.
The result ended Spain’s 26-match unbeaten streak. It hadn’t lost since a 1—0 result England in a friendly in London in 2011. Its last loss in an official competition had happened 29 matches ago, in the 2010 World Cup opener against Switzerland.
Spain badly wanted a victory against the five-time world champion, which was one of the few top teams it hadn’t faced since it began dominating international football. Spain won the 2010 World Cup along with the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.
For Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque, the defeat was comprehensive. “There’s not much to say, they were superior on every way. They scored early. This is not an excuse but they had pressure on us all the time.”
It was “a deserved defeat,” Del Bosque said.
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