A brilliant late free-kick from the returning Neymar gave Brazil a 1-0 victory over Colombia in a bad-tempered World Cup rematch in Miami. Making his first start since suffering a fractured vertebra during the teams’ last encounter, which Brazil also won, Neymar curled a fine 25-yard effort into the top corner on 83 minutes. The strike gave new coach Dunga a deserved win to begin the rehabilitation process, following the nation’s World Cup heartache.

For the Colombians, who had Juan Cuadrado sent off for a second yellow card in one of the least friendly friendlies you’re likely to see, new Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao made a late cameo appearance and had a late header deflected over the bar. However, the winning goal was a just reward for the new Brazil skipper Neymar, who once again endured plenty of torrid tackling from the Colombians. The man who ended his World Cup dream, Camilo Zuniga, showed little remorse for that high knee with a couple of scything early challenges in a fiery opening.

Zuniga was among those yellow carded in a first half that saw six players enter the book. Despite the frequent assaults Neymar looked the liveliest for the Brazilians, after being awarded the armband in favour of Thiago Silva and David Luiz. The former Chelsea man was one of only four starting survivors from the 7-1 semi-final humiliation at the hands of Germany.

After a scrappy opening, Diego Tardelli had a tap in ruled out for offside as the Brazilians’ powerful running from midfield caused problems. Oscar squandered a great chance after he was played in by Chelsea team-mate Willian, weakly side-footing wide on 33 minutes, while Neymar also dragged a shot wide from a promising position. At the other end, Colombia’s World Cup star James Rodriguez was a peripheral figure, with the best efforts coming from Zuniga, who blasted a right foot effort inches over the bar, and Cuadrado, who had a long-range effort well stopped by Jefferson in the Brazil goal.

Neymar had a great chance to break the deadlock within minutes of the restart but his shot was well saved. Seconds later he was once again hacked down and Cuadrado received his second yellow card. The striker, missing that shaggy blonde hair, probably should have raided the Miami Dolphins’ equipment store for some pads before taking the field.

The Brazilians poured on the pressure following the dismissal and several promising openings were squandered. Dunga brought on Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho for his first appearance since making his debut in 2011, before the star attraction Falcao finally entered the fray, replacing Rodriguez with 13 minutes left. The Colombian fans, whom far outnumbered the Brazilians in Latin-enthused South Florida, erupted. However, other than the late chance Falcao was barely involved, as Neymar’s effort stole the show.

On another note, the near-capacity crowd of 73,429, which is likely to eclipse the attendance for Sunday’s Miami Dolphins opener against the New England Patriots, was the largest ever at a football match in Florida. That’s good news for a certain David Beckham, with the former England captain still struggling to convince that his plan to build a stadium for a Miami MLS team deserves some of the city’s most valuable real estate. Sadly for Beckham though, he’s unlikely to be able to call on the likes of Neymar, Falcao and Rodriguez every week.