Sao Paulo: Luiz Felipe Scolari is not going to lose sleep over Brazil's loss to Switzerland in the team's first match since winning the Confederations Cup at home.
Scolari said the 1-0 defeat in Basel on Wednesday should not be taken too seriously as he already expected the team to face difficulties because of the players' less-than-ideal physical condition.
The loss halted Brazil's six-match winning streak and ended its 11-match unbeaten run. Brazil hadn't lost since a 2-1 result against England in a friendly in London in February, a match that marked Scolari's return to the national team. Brazil hadn't failed to score in 18 matches, since a 2-0 loss to Mexico in the United States in June 2012.
"Of course we wanted to win," Scolari said. "But the result was normal because we were not in condition to face a team which was better prepared physically. Many of our players here played in the Confederations Cup just recently."
The competition forced most of the Brazilian players to delay the start of their pre-season preparations.
"I couldn't have asked for anything more from them in this match," said Scolari, who led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title. "They played to their limit and gave all they had. I can only thank them for what they did during the Confederations Cup."
Scolari said he was against playing a match so soon after the World Cup warm-up competition, but the Brazilian federation had to take advantage of the opportunity because it was a FIFA date.
"We played better in the first half," Scolari said. "I'm sure that when we play again in a month or so the result will be different."
Brazil will host Australia on September 7 in the capital of Brasilia. The coach said the team will also play three other matches this year - in South Korea, China and in the United States. He did not elaborate on the dates or the opponents.
"We know we have a long way ahead until the World Cup," the coach said. "We won the Confederations Cup but now we are already facing difficulties again. It's normal."
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