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Staff Writer
June 26, 2009

Reigning titleholders Brazil will face off against the USA in the Confederations Cup final on Sunday. BetUS has posted odds on the match.

The USA stunned the football world on Wednesday night with their amazing victory over world number one Spain in the first semi-final, and Thursday provided us with much the same level of entertainment, with Brazil snatching victory from Bafana Bafana two minutes before full-time.

The South Africans showed how far they had come since the group stage with a remarkable effort to keep the reigning champions from scoring for almost 88 minutes. Each time South Africa attacked they were determined to score, but Brazilian defenders Lúcio and Maicon were in perfect form, dispossessing Teko Modise and Steven Pienaar in the opening minutes of the match.

Though they started well, it was the Brazilians who created the first opportunity on 14 minutes. Maicon teamed up with Luis Fabiano to give Ramires a clear shot on goal, but South African keeper Itumeleng Khune wasn’t letting anything past him.

The game followed along a familiar path of attack/counterattack for most of the 90 minutes, each side desperate to get the opening goal that would spell disaster for their opponents. By the 85th minute it looked like the game would advance to extra time before either keeper gave up a goal, but a silly foul from captain Aaron Mokoena on the edge of the box was the only invitation Brazil needed to crash South Africa’s party. Barcelona right-back Dani Alves – who had only been substituted six minutes earlier – curled the ball past a wall of defenders and into the back of Khune’s net.

South Africa were clearly disappointed with the turn of events, but their vast improvement over the course of the campaign showed they would be a force to be reckoned with at their World Cup next year.

BetUS has posted odds on both of Sunday’s matches: Brazil vs. USA, and Spain vs. South Africa (3rd place playoff). While Brazil are clear favourites to win their second consecutive Confederations Cup, USA cannot be discounted after the way they performed on Wednesday. The sheer determination they showed in the face of a team that had been undefeated since November 2006 is a clear sign that Brazil cannot afford to rest on their laurels come Sunday.

The Spain-South Africa game should also be a riveting watch. Spain will be driven to shake off the embarrassment of their semi-final loss, while South Africa will be hard to beat in their homeland. Whatever the outcome, make sure you head over to BetUS for all the odds and live betting on both games.