Brazilian President says national soccer team needs to improve

The debut of the Brazilian team in South Africa World Cup was considered modest by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after he watched the game on Tuesday.

Lula watched the game where Brazil overcame the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) 2-1 at his official residence, the Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia, together with some ministers.

According to ministers who attended the game with the president, Lula felt that the team could have performed better, while acknowledging that the nervousness of the first game may have affected the performance of Brazilian players.

According to Planning Minister Paulo Bernardo, the president assessed that in the first half of the match Brazilian players showed anxiety, but they improved in the second half.

The Minister of the Special Secretariat for Human Rights, Paulo Vannuchi, added that Lula believes the performance of the Brazilian team will improve in the course of the competition.

Brazil won the match thank to goals from Maicon and Elano while Ji Yun Nam was on target for the DPRK, at the Ellis Park Stadium, in Johannesburg.

The result places Brazil first in Group G, with three points. Cote d'Ivoire and Portugal come second tied with one point, and the DPRK is third.

Brazil's next match is scheduled on Sunday against Cote d'Ivoire.

Source: Xinhua