Brazil secured maximum points from the pool stage after cruising to a 3-0 win over New Zealand in their Group C finale at St James' Park this afternoon.
Having already qualified for the quarter-finals prior to kickoff, Brazil had the luxury of resting some of their biggest names, but the depth of quality in their squad was evident as they still dominated the first period.
Santos striker Neymar had a goal ruled out for offside after just five minutes before going close with an acrobatic volley.
It was only a matter of time before the South American's broke the deadlock, and it was Porto midfielder Danilo who netted the opener.
He combined well with Leandro Damiao on the edge of the box before calmly converting past Michael O'Keefe in the Kiwis' net.
Leandro added his own name to the scoresheet shortly after following fine link-up play between Alex Sandro and Marcelo, who started the move with a clever back-heel.
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Sandro completed the scoring 10 minutes into the second half as he converted at the back post from a Neymar free kick.
A near-flawless group stage campaign was slightly marred in the latter stages as Alex Sandro was shown a second yellow card for diving.
Joe Fish
