Brazil captain Kaka led from the front, scoring both goals in his team's 2-0 victory over Colombia in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday.
World champions Brazil, who are without several of their more experienced players at the tournament, could have recorded a more emphatic win as they clinched a semi-final showdown with the holders, the U.S., in Miami on Wednesday.
"We could have had a bigger result," coach Ricardo Gomes told reporters.
Colombia were no match for their opponents and their coach, Francisco Maturana, said Brazil simply "played better and left us powerless at the end".
Kaka's first goal came in the 42nd minute when he surprised goalkeeper Farid Mondragon with the speed with which he converted a pass from Robinho.
The Brazil skipper followed up in the 66th minute with a powerful left-foot shot from outside the area that Mondragon could not get near.
Colombia were down to 10 men for the last eight minutes of the game after American referee Ken Stott sent off Julian Vasquez.
Gomes acknowledged that the game against the U.S. would be difficult.
"They have a lot of tactical discipline, they have experienced players and they have the home-team advantage," he said.
Earlier on Saturday, the U.S. crushed Cuba 5-0 in their quarter-final.
© 2024 Rediff.com -