Confederations Cup 2013 Brazil » Semi-finals » Live commentary: Brazil - Uruguay 2:1

Engame Summary:
What an excellent match! Brazil managed to squeeze out a victory against a formidable opponent in Uruguay. It may end up being a disappointing evening for the Uruguayans after a hard fought battle against the home side. An excellent penalty save from Júlio César may have been the difference in the match and the save willed his team on. Neymar was not the force expected but his flick on to Fred opened the scoring and he was an ever dangerous force. Edinson Cavani played an excellent match for his away side and seemed to will his club on but there was simply not enough left for the away side to tap into. What an excellent semifinal indeed! Brazil will face the winner of Mexico and Spain in the final this weekend. Good night football fans and more Confederations Cup action in the coming days!

Fresh off the pine, Dante does just what he's expected to do by pushing the ball out of bounds. Yet another corner for the Uruguay side. The effort is pushed away from danger and the whistle must be blown any second.

Neymar brought to the ground by Pereira but the whistle isn't blown. Both sides are pushing and shoving trying to plead their cases. Emotions are running high as Uruguay tries to find a way back from the deficit. There are no formalities of frendship in this match.

With time running late Brazil once again has a corner from which they can try to steal the match away.

Had Marcelo's cross into the middle of the box gotten through it would have been a decisive moment! Uruguay's defense has been amazing to this point.

Cavani with a huge chance! He manages to squeeze free from Hernanes but his left footed shot is deflected by Luiz Gustavo to the relief of Júlio César who watches, happily, as the ball rolls out of bounds.

Marcelo (Brazil) is shown a yellow card
Marcelo's sweeping challenge on Cavani has to be shown yellow and he quickly gets off the ground to apologize to his opponent for the foul play.

Yet another opportunity for Brazil sniffed out by the Uruguayan defense. They have been astounding throughout the majority of the match, much to the frustration of the Brazilian side. Neymar fouled by Cavani prepares for his free kick.

Almost there for the Brazilians! Neymar is played into the box and launches a shot towards Muslera. The keeper is more than prepared for the shot as it flies towards the middle of the goal. The young Brazilian Neywmar will wish he could have the shot back.

Suárez with a great header towards goal! The shot sails over the top crossbar to the joy of the Brazilian side but it was a huge effort for the away side!

Brazil's crowd only comes back to life at the anticipation of a substitute as the 20 year old Bernard prepares his entry.

Marcelo decides to bring down Luis Suárez instead of playing legitimate defense. He's lucky not to see a card and slows down the Uruguay build up.

Now the Celeste are forcing defense out of their counterparts. With deep runs through the middle it isn't a question of if but when the away side will get another scoring opportunity.

The away side has seemed to come to life once again in this second half. Although Brazil seems to be much more focused in this second stanza, there is no question that Uruguay would be deserving of the victory if they could find a way through.

Goooal for Uruguay, 1:1 by Edinson Cavani
What a goal for Uruguay! The ball was not cleared by Brazil for a few moments and finally Edinson Cavani gets his left foot on the shot just ten meters away. The keeper can do nothing to stop the shot that nestles itself into the left netting. Once again the Brazilian fans are forced to silence.

And the second half is underway!

Halftime Summary:
What a great first half of the Confederations Cup final! Of course the Brazilians will be satisfied with the lead. Fred's excellent score for the lead was set up by excellent play between his teammates but Uruguay have reason to be upset. For the majority of the half the Uruguayan side looked to be the better team and had taken the home crowd out of the competition but they could not hold on to their momentum and Forlán's missed penalty may end up being the difference in the game. A second half is coming shortly and there are certain to be changes from both sides as they try to press towards the Confederations Cup final!

And that's the half!

Two minutes left to play!

Suárez has a good look on goal but cannot make the best of it. For Uruguay it will turn out to be a half of frustration after a missed penalty shot and an undeserved lead by their opponents.

Luiz Gustavo (Brazil) is shown a yellow card
A silly foul from Gustavo and he's shown yellow for his action.

This much can be said for the Brazilian side, their intensity has improved greatly. Freed with a chance right in front of goal but his defender manages to disturbed the effort before any real danger comes.

Brazil has been unremarkable to this point and, in respect to their very high expectations, very disappointing. They will be looking for answers at the half.

The best chance of the match for Hulk and Brazil! A great run, played on to Oscar who cleverly flicks it back to the powerful offensive player for a shot from ten meters out. He cannot get a good connection with his left foot and the shot sails wide. Still an impressive showing from the two.

A decent chance by Cristian Rodríguez! Júlio César comes off his line to punch a throw away from the box but finds himself on the ground. Rodriguez does the right thing heading an effort towards goal but can only find the top of the netting.

Neymar's free kick from around 30 meters allows the home side to once again prepare for a corner. This one is no better and Uruguay is prepared to clear the ball.

Hulk manages to turn his defender and get the first corner for Brazil. The ball is well taken but only reaches the Uruguayan defense.

Oscar with the first effort from Brazil! His shot is deflected and floats over the end line from around 25 meters out but it is a good sign for Brazil.

Saved by Júlio César!! What a great chance for Diego Forlán! A pretty decent shot from Forlán but the keeper is quick to decide and can parry the shot out of bounds. It's still a clean sheet in Brazil!

David Luiz (Brazil) is shown a yellow card

Gustavo with a great tackle against Suárez as the offense begins its build up. A second corner for Uruguay.

Brazil have seemed to control the ball marginally better than their opponents to this point but it has still brought nothing for the home side. Hulk and Neymar have been practically nonexistent during the first ten minutes.

Very few notable moments in the first five minutes of the match. Both sides seems to be feeling each other out in the early phases.

The passes have simply rolled around the pitch in the first couple minutes of action but the environment in the stadium is truly inspiring. What a great preview of the World Cup next year!

For Brazil, it has to be an exciting evening with the prospect of reaching consecutive Confederations Cup finals. They certainly seem, to this point in the tournament, the better side and will try to make that clear their exceptional talents against a formidable opponent. What an excellent semifinal just a few moments away!

Luis Suárez will be a danger for the Brazilian back line with 36 goals to date, Suárez has taken Diego Forlán's top spot. Both are capable scorers and will have to be well countered by the marvelous Neymar who has seen the back of the net in each of the first three Confederation Cup matches. He will be helped by the likes of Hulk and Fred, who managed to see two goals into the back of the net against Italy. With so much firepower it would be no surprise to see a high score tally in this one.

Of course out of the ashes of a terrible meltdown came one of the most historic teams in football history with Brazil winning five World Cups after 1950. This Brazilian side hope to reach those same great heights. The Seleção have seen their most recent major international victory, in the form of the 2009 Confederations Cup. Uruguay on the other hand, are the defending South American champions and can hang their hats well on the 2010 fourth place finish in the World Cup. We'll be watching two major sides with plenty to prove in the face of the 2014 World Cup!