Stubborn North Korea netted a late goal against Brazil but the five-time world champions maintained an one-goal lead to register a 2-1 win on Tuesday. Maicon broke the deadlock five minutes from the hour mark when Kaka's deft pass released him in the area, before the Inter Milan ace hit a curling low shot into the net from a very tight angle. The pacey winger was named the man of the match. Elano doubled the Selecao's lead in the 72nd minute when he latched onto a Robinho through to go one-on-one with the static keeper and slide past him. Ji Yun-Nam pulled one back for North Korea on 89 minutes when he came out of the blue to steal the ball and penetrate the area, before scoring with a clinical finish. Throughout the first half, Brazil were superior in terms of ball possession but couldn't translate their dominance into goals. North Korea, who were much better than expected, tried to be dangerous on the counter attack and kept defending tightly. But after the interval, Dunga's men tightened their grip on the game while their opponents seemed to be far less consistent than the first period. Brazil created a good number of scoring chances that could have resulted in more goals. Luis Fabiano wasted a chance shortly after the hour mark when he chested down a cross in the area but saw his effort go high over. After Yun-Nam's goal, the North Koreans tried to snatch a last-gasp equalizer but to no avail.
