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Friendlies round-up

Image: Giovani dos Santos: Scored one and made the other as Mexico beat Brazil

Brazil saw their 10-match unbeaten run brought to an end by Mexico, while the United States of America were held by Canada.

In-form Mexico stun Brazil, while USA are held on home soil

Brazil saw their 10-match unbeaten run brought to an end by Mexico, while the United States of America were held by Canada. Premier League duo Giovani dos Santos and Javier Hernandez saw Mexico claim a notable scalp in an international friendly at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Tottenham forward Dos Santos opened the scoring in the 21st minute following a good move and he then won the penalty that allowed Manchester United striker Hernandez to double the lead 10 minutes later. Mexico's victory means they completed their United States tour with three wins having beaten Wales 2-0 and Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1. Brazil had also come into the match on the back of successive victories, beating Denmark 3-1 a week ago in Hamburg and then thrashing USA 4-1 in Maryland. But they were unable to add a third against the Mexicans and will hope for better when they take on arch-rivals Argentina next Saturday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Dos Santos broke the deadlock in fine style when he picked up a pass from Pablo Barrera, beat Brazil defender Danilo and cleverly lobbed his shot over Santos goalkeeper Rafael. The former Barcelona player then turned provider for Mexico's second goal, taking advantage of a defensive mistake before being fouled by Juan inside the box. Hernandez made no mistake from the resulting spot-kick with a powerful right-footed finish. Brazil tried to hit back but superstar forward Neymar was well marked by Severo Meza and Carlos Salcido while Hulk and Leandro Damiao could not find much space either.

Stalemate

Canada and the United States played out a goalless draw in Toronto as they fine-tuned their preparations for the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign. The Los Angeles Galaxy's Landon Donovan and Fulham's Clint Dempsey were in the starting line-up together for the first time in coach Jurgen Klinsmann's reign, but the pair were unable to find the breakthrough in front of a crowd of 15,247 at BMO Field. Both teams now turn their attention to qualifying for Brazil 2014. Canada visit Havana to face Cuba in their opener on Friday, while the USA take on Antigua & Barbuda in Tampa.

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