Spain vs. Brazil: Breaking Down a Selecao's Confederations Cup Title

Brazil won its third consecutive Confederations Cup title on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, blasting through world No. 1 Spain to do so.

It was a fantastic effort by "A Selecao," excelling on both sides of the pitch and making La Roja look uncomfortable in the process. Fred (two goals) and the young Neymar (one goal) were the stars up front in the 3-0 victory.

Let's take a look at how Brazil conquered Spain on Sunday.

Defense

There is no debating Spain can be dangerous on the pitch when clicking on all cylinders. But not only did La Roja appear to be out of their comfort zone on Sunday, Brazil also made some nice defensive plays, from Hulk to Paulinho to David Luiz to Julio Cesar. Cesar made seven saves in the match.

The defense that allowed Italy to score two goals in the group stage blanked the Spanish on Sunday. While Spain registered 15 shots (seven on goal), the most dangerous attempts were defended well by the Brazilians.

And while Spain held the ball for 52 percent of the match, La Roja didn't make the most of their opportunities and rarely had good stretches.

Brazil Makes Statement Early

While Brazil's first goal was as much Spain's incompetence as the Brazilians' execution, Fred indeed capitalized on poor defense by Iker Casillas and Gerard Pique. That came in the second minute of play and set the tone for what was to be a long match for the Spanish.

Just before halftime, Neymar put Brazil on the board again. This time, it was all Brazil, as Neymar brilliantly swung home a goal high off a feed by Oscar. Headed into halftime, Brazil had a convincing 2-0 lead, backed by a ferocious home crowd in Rio de Janeiro.

In the 47th minute, Brazil put the nail in the coffin, as Marcelo tapped to Neymar, who fed Fred, who finished strong. Brazil had Spain on its heels from the start, then ended the match with a flourish.

Brazil Keeps Pressure on Spain

Spain never appeared comfortable on Sunday, primarily because Brazil never let up. With a team like Spain, you can't afford to let your guard down and Brazil certainly was aware of that.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said after the match, via ESPNFC.com, "They were superior on every way. They scored early. This is not an excuse but they had pressure on us all the time."

Quite simply, Brazil came to play for a championship match on Sunday, and Spain didn't. Several key players for Spain looked completely lost, including Fernando Torres, who came into the clash with five goals in the tournament. Although to be fair to Torres, he wasn't given many opportunities. Defender Alvaro Arbeloa was completely stinking up the pitch, though. That can't be debated.

So, in some sense, Spain laid an egg. On the other hand, the pressure throughout the match by Brazil ensured La Roja wouldn't get into any kind of rhythm.