Luis Fabiano scored two first-half goals as Brazil moved into second place in South American World Cup qualifying yesterday with a commanding 3-0 win over Peru.

Brazil's Kaka celebrates being awarded a penalty kick after being fouled during a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer game in Porto Alegre, Brazil, yesterday. [Shanghai Daily]

Orchestrated by Kaka, the Brazilians swarmed over the last-place Peru with attack directed down the wings and through the center as Fabiano, Robinho, Elano and Daniel Alves constantly threatened to score.

Brazil opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a Fabiano penalty kick after Kaka was felled in the area.

Fabiano doubled the lead nine minutes later after controlling a floated ball into the area from Daniel Alves and firing across the goal as the Peruvian defenders froze.

"We came out looking for that victory and thanks to God I got two important goals for the Brazilian team," Fabiano said.

Midfielder Felipe Melo scored the third from the edge of the area in the 65th minute after a run through the center.

Peru's best chance came after 67 minutes when Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar was forced to save a long distance effort from Johan Fano

The win lifted the five-time World Cup winner from fourth to second position in the South American standings on 21 points, helped by Argentina's shocking 6-1 loss to Bolivia at high altitude in La Paz and Chile's scoreless draw at home to Uruguay.

Paraguay leads with 24 points, while Chile is third with 20 and Argentina has 19.

Kaka recovered from a left foot injury that kept him out of Brazil's lackluster 1-1 draw with Ecuador in Quito on Sunday.

"I felt good. It was a happy day because I got a full game, the team played a good game and won," the AC Milan midfielder said.

Brazil won without producing a fully convincing performance, managing to take advantage of the visitors' weaknesses. Peru looked bereft of ideas, with the talismanic Nolberto Solano too busy helping the defense to exert any attacking influence.

For Brazil coach Dunga, the triumph was a timely answer to the wave of criticism that followed Sunday's draw - Brazil's sixth in 12 qualifiers.

"After the wear and tear of the trip to Ecuador, the match at altitude, the flight delays, testing the players' capacity to the limit, the result is normal", Dunga said.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily April 2, 2009)