East Rutherford

Roberto Firmino and Neymar scored the goals as Brazil cruised to a 2-0 friendly victory over an inexperienced United States here on Friday.

Brazil, playing their first international since a disappointing World Cup quarterfinal exit, were in complete control throughout a low-key encounter. The South American giants had won their previous 10 games against the United States, whose lone victory came way back in 1998. Neymar, who was handed the captain’s armband by manager Tite for this game, is now only five goals away from surpassing Ronaldo in second place on Brazil’s all-time scoring charts. Ronaldo has 62 goals, while Pele tops the charts with 77.

A Luis Suarez brace, the second a cheeky ‘Panenka’ penalty, helped Uruguay ease to a 4-1 win over Mexico, while Argentina thumped Guatemala 3-0 in a pair of big friendly wins in the US.