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Confidence problem Brazil coach Leao fears over-confidence against Canada
IBARAKI, Japan (AP) -- Just days ago, Brazil was struggling to prove it still deserved respect after a series of poor outings and a rude bump from the top of the soccer world. Now, the enemy is overconfidence. What a difference a game makes. Brazil's 2-0 victory over Cameroon on Thursday in the Confederations Cup worked wonders for the team's morale. But as his team prepares to face Canada on Saturday, coach Emerson Leao worries that spirits could get too high. "They can't delude themselves with a deceptive situation," Leao said after a light workout Friday at the Kashima Antlers club. Although the Canadians took a 3-0 shellacking at the hands of co-host Japan in their opening game, the result could easily have been very different, Leao said. "Canada could have been up 2-0, but they tired and had some bad luck," he said. "They know that if they lose, they're out. We know that if we win, we qualify. So the interest on both sides is great." Still, Leao will have a hard time curbing the ebullience that arose after the final whistle Thursday. The win over Cameroon -- Brazil's nemesis in the Sydney Olympics last year -- eased much of the frustration at the team's disappointing play in the 2002 World Cup qualifying and the loss of FIFA's No. 1 ranking to France. "We had to show ourselves and all the world that we could do it," said striker Washington, who scored the first goal on a brilliant individual run. But Washington admitted he knew little about the Canadian team, while Leao declined to single out a source of concern in the adversary's arsenal beyond the air game typical of the northern European school. "There is the crossing factor," he said in coach-speak. "They are good headers." Brazil also has some medical concerns. Fullback Lucio left the game against Cameroon with a twisted his ankle but is expected to recover and face Canada. Vagner complained of a pain in his right foot and was listed as questionable. Still, Vagner's absence would give Leao a perfect excuse to start Carlos Miguel, who came in at the half against Cameroon and changed the complexion of the game. Within minutes he had twice buzzed the goal, and his left-footed volley off a cross from Ramon for the second goal was one for the highlight reels. Canada, ranked 71st in the world, is still looking for respect. Although the team raised eyebrows by upsetting powerful Colombia 2-0 in the final of the Gold Cup championship last year, it has never played in a tournament of this level before and was widely expected to be three-and-out. A key to Canada's success has been German coach Holger Osieck, an assistant to Franz Beckenbauer in 1990 when Germany won its third World Cup. The team also has international experience, with all but two of the 22 athletes playing in Europe or in the United States, though few for top-flight clubs. Unlike the Brazilians, who play all three of their opening-round games in Ibaraki, the Canadians hit the road for a four-hour journey by train and bus from their base in Niigata. After the game they race back to Niigata to face Cameroon on Monday. "We're all knackered," said Canadian captain Jason deVos. "We've just come off an 11-month season. We haven't had any break last summer because of the World Cup qualifiers, so essentially we've played nonstop for two years. We're tired. You can certainly see at the end of the game we don't have the same kind of energy that we normally have." Osieck promised to make some lineup changes to try to freshen the squad. "First of all I have to check on the fatigue factor," he said. "When you lose a game, it's twice as much as in a situation when you win. We have a couple of fresh legs still available so I have to see how I will adjust to the next game."
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