Neymar seals Brazil win over Argentina

A last-ditch penalty converted by Neymar handed Brazil an unconvincing 2-1 win over South American rivals Argentina in the first leg of the Superclassic of the Americas on Wednesday night. Neymar’s penalty on the final kick of the match could not however drown out the jeers from a home crowd disappointed by the performance of the 2014 World Cup hosts in a home-and-away series between the two nations. The victory was still some form of revenge for Brazil, who were beaten 4-3 by Argentina in June thanks to a Lionel Messi hat-trick. This time Argentina were without their European stars but the unimaginative performance of the Brazilians drew the wrath of the home crowd. “The team played well, it’s difficult to take on a rival who defended so well,” said Brazilian coach Mano Menezes. As Brazil struggled, the crowd jeered Menezes and called for World Cup-winning manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, who is free after leaving Palmeiras last week, chanting “Goodbye, Mano” and “Come back, Felipao.”