Dunga buoyed by Brazil win as Argentina fixture looms

After picking up their first win of qualification for the World Cup, Brazil coach Dunga urged his side to be more clinical with a fixture against old foes Argentina coming up next month.

Brazil were beaten 2-0 by Chile in their opening qualifier for the 2018 World Cup last week, but got off the mark with a 3-1 win over Venezuela on Tuesday – Willian scoring twice along with Ricardo Oliveira in Fortaleza.

Following their quarter-final exit at the Copa America and a rocky start to qualification, Dunga’s men will go into the clash with Argentina on the back of a win, while Gerardo Martino’s men have taken just a point from their meetings with Ecuador and Paraguay.

Following criticism of his side in recent months, the former Brazil captain wants to enjoy their victory before looking to November’s trip to Buenos Aires.

Asked what rating he would give his side’s performance, Dunga replied: “I’d give an 8.5, I’m picky.

“If we had taken half of the opportunities we created, we would be celebrating a rout and I would give a nine.

“We played against Chile and had to counter-attack to kill the game but we were not efficient. I talked with the group today, I wanted us to win, but not just that, we needed to play well.

“For now we will rest and celebrate. The game was tough and we need to absorb everything that happened. 

“[After enjoying the win] I start to think about Argentina. Today we had a centre-forward but against them that can change. It will depend on injuries, we will review it to decide the game.”