Brazil Shows Off Its Youthful Skills

With the opening ceremonies of the Atlanta Games only days away, Brazil fired a perfect warning shot across the bows of its Olympic rivals Sunday.

Two excellent goals by Bebeto and Roberto Carlos, sandwiched around a truly spectacular one by Germany’s Juergen Klinsmann, earned the South Americans a well-deserved 2-1 victory over the FIFA World Stars at Giants Stadium.

The Brazilians, using their Olympic team with all but three players under 23 years old, did not outplay their more experienced opponents, whose combined value on the international transfer market is more than $200 million, but they more than held their own.

The largest crowd to see any sporting event at the stadium was treated to a wide-open, attractive game highlighted by three textbook goals.

The first came in the 48th minute when Bebeto ran onto a perfect through pass, arriving at the ball at the same time as Chilean goalkeeper Nelson Tapia. Bebeto blocked Tapia’s attempted clearance, the ball bounced into the air and Bebeto headed it into the empty net.

Klinsmann brought the FIFA team back on level terms in the 69th minute in dramatic fashion. Argentina’s Fernando Redondo dribbled into the left corner, then crossed the ball back into the goalmouth. Klinsmann wound up and unleashed an astonishing volley that all but tore through the back of the net. Dida, Brazil’s goalkeeper, never saw it.

Undeterred, the Brazilians set out to reclaim the advantage, doing so in the 78th minute when Bebeto danced through the defense yet again--he earlier had hit the left post with a shot after some amazing dribbling--and passed to Roberto Carlos almost on the end line.

The fullback, who plays for Inter Milan in the Italian League, fired a fierce shot from an acute angle that somehow got between Tapia and his near post. The Brazilian flags and banners in the crowd of 78,416 were raised a little higher and stayed that way until the final whistle.