Robinho hits 3 as Brazil beat Chile 3-0

Written by Nicholas Savage , 02.07 10h23

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A hat-trick from Robinho gave Brazil a hard earned 3-0 victory over Chile.

Robinho scored from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute, after a controversial call from the referee considered that the attacker himself had been pushed in the box.

Chile squandered several chances to equalise after halftime before Robinho added two more in the last 10 minutes.

He latched on to Vagner Love's pass to chip the ball over Claudio Bravo in the 84th minute and was on target again after a dazzling 40-metre run three minutes later.

Chile coach Nelson Acosta, whose team have conceded 12 goals and scored none in their last three meetings with Brazil, was unimpressed.

"He scored at the end of the match when our defence was completely open," said Acosta.

"It's very easy to score when your opponents are tired and chasing the game."

"It is not my victory but the whole team's," Real Madrid striker Robinho said. "I am very happy, but I am happier about the team's win than about my three goals. Now we have to see the best Brazil, and I am sure we are going to keep improving."

Despite the 1-0 lead, the side coached by Carlos Dunga - without stars like Kaka and Ronaldinho - did not show a good performance in Maturin, Venezuela to cast aside the doubts raised by Brazil's initial 2-0 defeat to Mexico.

Indeed, the 3-0 score made things look easier than they were for the five-time world champions. Robinho only made it 2-0 in the 83rd minute with a good shot, and he scored the final goal from outside the box four minutes from time.

Brazilian played poorly again for most of the match, only Robinho was the difference between Dunga's team and their Chilean rivals. One more win will see Brazil qualify for the next round.

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