No more 'Beautiful Game' for Brazil football?

Brazil is no longer playing for the fans. They're simply playing to win.

Apparently, that's the current concept Brazil team manager Dunga wants his team to play. And after winning the 2007 Copa America title in Venezuela over Argentina last Sunday, it looks like it works. And it don't matter to them how sick their fans become because of it.

Since the legendary Pele played football for Brazil 50 years ago, Brazil football was all about entertaining the fans and not winning games. And yeah, Brazil became famous for it too. Hell, we're seeing some Brazilian stars STILL playing this way, classic example of which is Ronaldinho with the way he bamboozles defenders with fancy footwork and clever tricks handling the ball.

With the current ''Dunga era'' in Brazil football, the style of play dubbed as ''the beautiful game'' was sacrificed for success on the pitch. Apparently, these guys just can't win playing that way so team manager Dunga left their old tricks in the locker room and played a rather boring but effective game.

Hell, they're even calling their title win at the 2007 Copa America a victory for efficiency over beauty to justify Brazil's new outlook in football. Whatever it takes as long as it gets them title after title right?

Dunga, who was a hardworking midfield organizer with few tricks, has put his own playing style onto the field with a Brazil team of powerfully built young athletes, who tackle hard, cover each other and pass rather than dribble.

Yeah sure, it may not be pretty to watch, but it gets results and his Brazilian team snuffed out the threat of the star-studded lineup from Argentina, a lineup that is arguably the most talented man-for-man in world soccer, to win the tactical battle in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

''A lot of people said this national team was ridiculous. Here you have the result,'' said Julio Baptista, who scored the first goal in the fourth minute for team Brazil. ''They said we had a mediocre squad but we proved we were good enough to be champions. This squad is made up of professionals.''

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2007 Copa America Brazil