ALOR STAR: The Brazil Selection side ended their South-East Asia Tour of Hope on a winning note after beating Kedah 4-1 at the Darulaman Stadium here last night.

But the lopsided scoreline did not reflect the true nature of the game, in which the Malaysian treble champions gave their renowned opponents a good run for their money.

Divine gratitude: Brazil Selection players celebrating their third goal against Kedah in Alor Star yesterday. The Brazilians won 4-1. — CHIN CHENG YEANG/The Star

The home side were boosted by the presence of goalkeeper Mohd Helmi Eliza and Mohd Khyril Muhymeen, who were both released from national duty for the match.

Coach Mohd Azraai Khor included Kedah’s four new signings Azrul Ahmad, Farizal Rozali, Shahrulnizam Mustapha and Afif Amiruddin in his starting eleven.

The Brazilians took the lead in the 12th minute after Afif made a mess of a simple clearance in his own penalty box.

In a haste to atone for the mistake, the former Police player brought down the marauding Silvio.

The 1994 World Cup winner Paulo Sergio made no mistake from the spot.

Undaunted by the setback, the Malaysians pressed forward for an equaliser, with both Azrul and Farizal squandering their chances.

The turning point arrived in the 33rd minute, when the Canaries had the ball in the Brazil net to send the 28,000-strong fans into a frenzy.

But their joy was shortlived as Mohd Fadly Baharul was adjudged to have been in an offside position when he headed past Brazilian keeper Fabio Freitas.

The Kedah players and bench protested the decision but the referee stood firm. And the experienced Brazilian players took advantage of the confusion to race immediately to the other end and make it 2-0 through Silvio.

It got worse for the demoralised Canaries when the South Americans knocked in a couple more goals in quick succession.

Former Barcelona star Giovanni lobbed Helmi from 20 metres out in the 36th minute, and Silvio finished off a good Sergio move for Brazil’s fourth three minutes later.

Kedah came out with their guns blazing after the breather, and were rewarded in the 61st minute when Badrol Bakhtiar scored with a deflected freekick.

The fast tiring Brazil then adopted a more defensive approach to contain the speedier Kedah players and protect their three-goal cushion until the final whistle.

The Brazilian side, made up of former national players, were unbeaten in their six matches against teams from Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia to collect funds for the Cyclone Nargis victims in Myanmar.