- Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Brazil ready to face Portugal
- Date: 24th June 2010
- Summary: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 23, 2010) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF THE FAIRWAY HOTEL WHERE BRAZIL TEAM ARE BASED BRAZIL CAPTAIN, LUCIO, AND CENTRE BACK LUISAO ARRIVING AND SITTING DOWN FOR NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERAS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZIL CAPTAIN, LUCIO, SAYING: "All of us, when going onto the pitch, we enter with positive thoughts. In a World Cup, I believe you can't choose your opponents, so you have to go onto the pitch and do your best, honour your country, and the next opponent, we need to face them with respect and with the belief that we can win." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZIL CAPTAIN, LUCIO, TALKING ABOUT EQUALLING THE NUMBER OF MATCHES PLAYED BY PELE FOR THE NATIONAL TEAM, SAYING: "About the number of matches, it is a question that I was not aware of. I'm happy about it, it's important, it provides you with motivation but individual records within the national team are not the main issue." REPORTERS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZIL CAPTAIN, LUCIO, SAYING: "We know that he is a great player, as are others in the Portuguese squad and they all deserve a lot of attention but I believe that our way of playing will be imposed in the match." LUCIO AND LUISAO LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 9th July 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: South Africa
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA4F9LTY4OSTNIW4QXCJWTJL93N
- Story Text: Brazil's defender and captain Lucio said his team will play to win against Portugal despite having already secured qualification to the next round.
Brazil will top the group if they avoid defeat against Portugal, they play the second placed side in Group H who could be South American rivals Chile, Switzerland or even European champions Spain.
Lucio said the team wasn't concerned over the possibility of playing pre-tournament favourites Spain so early in the competition.
"All of us, when going onto the pitch, we enter with positive thoughts. In a World Cup, I believe you can't choose your opponents, so you have to go to the pitch and do your best, honour your country, and the next opponent, we need to face them with respect and with the belief that we can win," he said.
The Inter Milan centre back broke the number of international appearances by Brazil legend Pele, who led Brazil's golden era in world soccer, when he made his 93rd appearance against the Ivory Coast last week.
"About the number of matches, it is a question that I was not aware of. I'm happy about it, it's important, it provides you with motivation but individual records within the national team are not the main issue," he said.
The Brazilians will face Portugal without the suspended Kaka, who picked up a red card over their 3-1 win against the Ivory Coast. But Kaka's teammate at club level, Cristiano Ronaldo, will be hoping his country can continue their goalscoring form following the team's 7-0 thrashing of North Korea.
Ronaldo, who scored his first international goal for some time in the rout, will be key to Portugal's game plan.
"We know that he is a great player, as are others in the Portuguese squad and they all deserve a lot of attention but I believe that our way of playing will be imposed in the match," said Lucio.
South American teams have surprised many observers at the World Cup with their success. Uruguay topped Group A while Argentina won all their group matches. Paraguay and Chile both currently sit top of their groups that include Italy and Spain.
The only confederation to win the World Cup outside their own continent has been South America, with Brazil's wins in Sweden in 1958, Mexico in 1970, the United States in 1994 and Japan/South Korea in 2002, while Argentina won in Mexico in 1986. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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