Brazil, Argentina claim victories in international friendlies

Winger Richarlison scored twice in 12 minutes as Brazil breezed past Ghana 3-0 while another South American powerhouse Argentina also grabbed a 3-0 victory over Honduras in pre-World Cup international friendlies on Friday.

Brazil opened the scoring by Marquinhos's bullet header in the ninth minute from a corner by Raphinha. Richarlison extended the advantage just before the half-hour mark with a pin-point strike from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom left corner.

Assisted by Neymar, the Tottenham Hotspur forward added the third for the team on the stroke of halftime with a clever first-time header from a freekick to seal a comfortable 3-0 victory, reports Xinhua.

Since losing the final of the Copa America last year, the five-time world champions have been accumulating a 14-game unbeaten streak -- 11 wins and three draws, with 33 goals for and just four goals against.

Elsewhere, in the duel between Argentina and Honduras, Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez scored the opener with a right-footed shot from very close range.

Argentina dominated the whole game with offensive attack as captain Lionel Messi doubled the lead by converting a penalty before the halftime break. In the 69th minute, Messi scored his second by unleashing a shot outside the box.

The 2022 World Cup host Qatar lost to Canada 2-0 at Generali Arena in Vienna, Austria.

In other matches held on the day, Mehdi Taremi's lone goal in the 79th minute helped Iran stun Uruguay 1-0, Morocco took down Chile 2-0, and Saudi Arabia held Ecuador to a 0-0 draw.