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Jul 15, 2007 11:12 pm US/Eastern
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South Florida Soccer Fans Cheer For Copa America
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MIAMI (CBS4) ―
South Florida soccer fans flocked to sports bars Sunday top watch an event they couldn't see in person, because the Copa America battle was played out on a field in Venezuela. That did not stop them from cheering the teams from Brazil and Argentina battling for the cup, but in the end, it was the fans of Brazil who were cheering as that nation's team beat Argentina, 3-0.
Even without some top stars, Brazil still able to win its second straight Copa America title.
Julio Baptista scored in the fourth minute, an own goal doubled the lead in the 40th and Daniel Alves got the final goal in the 69th as the Brazilians stunned favored Argentina 3-0 Sunday to win South America's championship for the eighth time.
"Lots of people criticized our team, but we're the champions," said Brazil forward Robinho, the tournament's top scorer with six goals.
While Argentina brought its top players and appeared unstoppable throughout most of the tournament, Brazil was missing stars such as Ronaldinho and Kaka, who decided to skip the tournament after the long European club season. The Brazilians edged Uruguay 5-4 on penalty kicks in the semifinals after a 2-2 tie.
"My players demonstrated they're capable of great things," Brazil coach Dunga said. "Argentina was the press and everyone's favorite, but the game is decided on the field over 90 minutes."
Brazil defeated Argentina 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie to win the 2004 final in Lima, Peru. The Brazilians have won four of the last five Copa titles -- the exception was when Colombia won at home in 2001 -- and eight in all. But in last year's World Cup, Brazil was eliminated by France in the quarterfinals.
"We came to rescue the self-esteem of the Brazilian worker, who wakes up in the morning and returns home late at night, whose only satisfaction in life is seeing Brazil win a football match," Dunga said.
Argentina shares the record of 14 Copa titles with Uruguay but has none since 1993.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)