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Football

Ronaldinho too hot for Hong Kong


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Ronaldinho turned on the magic for fans upset by Ronaldo's absence

HONG KONG -- World player of the year Ronaldinho gave a dazzling display as Brazil thrashed minnows Hong Kong 7-1 in a one-sided friendly on Wednesday.

The Barcelona star scored with a cheeky lob and produced some magical touches for the world champions who reportedly received $1 million appearance money.

Two-goal Ricardo Oliveira, Roberto Carlos, Robinho, Alex and Lucio were also on target but the absence of Ronaldo hit ticket sales on a humid Chinese New Year's Day.

Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, using the match as preparation for next month's World Cup ties with Uruguay and Peru, heaped praise on Ronaldinho.

"He can make special passes, special movements and special goals -- everything he does is different, that's why he was voted the best player in the world and he showed it today," he said.

Parreira also picked out 21-year-old striker Robinho, a target of Real Madrid, as a "player for the future" after his first 90-minute appearance for the national side.

Bayern Munich defender Lucio opened the scoring in the 20th minute, latching on to a Robinho cross to plant a header past Hong Kong goalkeeper Fan Chun-Yip.

Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos made it 2-0 with a fierce left-footed shot before Oliveira's curler on the stroke of half-time.

Ronaldinho made it 4-0 just after the break, and then launched the move which ended up with the fifth, outrageously looking to the left flank while spraying a pass to the right. Oliveira applied the finish.

Santos striker Robinho scored with a close-range header and a left-footed penalty by second-half substitute Alex rounded off Brazil's scoring with 10 minutes to go.

The biggest cheer of the afternoon was reserved for Hong Kong's Lee Sze-Ming, who nodded home a consolation strike after a goalmouth scramble.

The match, criticised by FIFA president Sepp Blatter as a "money-making" exercise, was also dogged by lacklustre ticket sales with the 40,000-seat Hong Kong stadium only about two-thirds full.


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