Brazil have beaten Australia's Socceroos 2-0 in their World Cup Group F encounter in Munich, with a second-half goal from Robinho and a late goal from substitute Fred to seal the win for the Seleçao.

Both teams started brightly, with Kaka and Socceroos captain Mark Viduka both having shots on goal.

Ronaldo was brought down by Vince Grella in the 10th minute, for a dangerous free-kick just outside the penalty area, but his shot went well wide of Mark Schwarzers goal.

Brett Emerton was yellow-carded for dissent in the 13th minute, but yet again the free-kick was wasted by Brazil.

The Socceroos were putting up a good contest, making some good attacks as well and never showing their vast chasm in the FIFA rankings.

Brazil began to gain the advantage in possession but couldn’t find the space in front of goal that they could shoot from.

Ze Roberto won a soft free-kick in his own-half and with the Brazil break finding Ronaldinho in front of goal, but his slip in the penalty-area meant that the move broke down.

Craig Moore blocked a shot from Ronaldo in the 28th minute that went away for a corner, but nothing came of it as Australia defended well

The Seleçao captain Cafu was yellow-carded for a foul on Everton’s Tim Cahill, the hero of the match against Japan, as Australia launched an attack.

The referee was following every word of the rulebook and Ronaldo was senselessly yellow-carded for shooting the ball after being flagged offside.

Both sides were having some decent attacks, without finding the space for the final shot and as the half progressed, the Australians began to grow in confidence, knowing that Brazil were beatable.

Both Ronaldo and Adriano had great chances to score but fluffed them.

Tony Popovic was injured with six minutes to go, with Parma’s Marco Bresciano coming in for him for him at left-back.

Ronaldo had a long-range chance go wide in the 42nd minute that forced Schwarzer to dive, but Australia’s Socceroos were defending extremely well, denying a run from Kaka in the last minute of the match.

The substitute Bresciano came very close to scoring in injury-time in the first, with a long-range shot that went just high of Dida’s bar.

The teams went into half-time 0-0 with Australia surely the most relieved, but with very little to tell between the teams after a very good half from the underdogs.

No changes were made at half-time by either side, but Brazil found a breakthrough in the opening minutes of the second-half.

A lovely passage of play saw Brazil's Ronaldo draw three defenders away in the penalty area and he played a lovely pass to Inter Milan’s Adriano who smashed the ball past Schwarzer.

Bresciano broke through just minutes later for Australia, but delayed his shot and was tackled well.

Liverpool’s Harry Kewell came on in the 55th minute and just a minute after coming on had an amazing chance to equalise after Dida fumbled the ball, and Kewell leapt on the free ball but his shot went high of the bar.

Kewell came close again after an uncharacteristic mistake from the Brazilian defence and broke on goal, but his 16-yard shot went high.

Ronaldo and Emerson were substituted with Robinho and Gilberto Silva coming on in the 71st minute and they livened-up the Seleçao attack.

Both sides were pressing for a goal, with chances on the break from both sides, but the defenders getting back to overcrowd any attack.

Robinho was making all the difference for the Brazilian attack, forcing the Socceroos keeper into a couple of good saves, with Marco Bresciano, who was excellent for the Australian’s, forced Dida into a good save with his acrobatic volley from the penalty-area.

Kaka had a header ricochet off the bar in the 82nd minute after some good attacking play, but the Brazilian’s were getting nervous, with Robinho being forced to defend and conceding a free-kick in a dangerous area, and earning himself a booking.

The Socceroos came close again in the last ten minutes from a free-kick, but their captain Viduka didn’t get enough on his header and the ball went just wide. Just two minutes later he gave Brazil a scare with a lob that just went high of the bar and landed on the netting on the top of the goal.

Fred came on for the exhausted Adriano in the dying minutes and immediately doubled the lead for the jubilant Seleçao, and in doing so, breaking the hearts of the Socceroos players who played magnificently.

Kaka should have made it 3-0 in injury-time but scuffed his shot, but it was enough for them to see the match through with a clean-sheet.