Artistry or effectiveness? Victory or sublime display of skill? Dogged defence or all-out, flowing attacks? Over the years, Brazilian teams have carried the burden imposed by these questions to every major football championships. The brilliant Brazil sides of the past might have added sheen to the game’s lores, but they never made things easier for the men who followed them in the famous canary-yellow jersies. The need to win and the urge to please the followers of the beautiful game pulled the team in opposite directions many a time in the recent past, leading to results that brought little joy to millions of their followers. However, in Maracaibo on Sunday, the Brazilians showed the world the route they are most likely to take in the future, when they outwitted Argentina for their eighth Copa America title. Careful planning and efficient execution were the secrets behind Brazil’s victory.

Brazil missed the cleverness of Kaka and the flair of Ronaldinho in Venezuela but they had a quality that Dunga values uppermost among his men — fighting spirit. After a nightmarish start to the tournament, when they were beaten 0-2 by Mexico, the champions showed that quality in good measure match after match, most vitally in the semifinal against Uruguay when they had to battle it out in a penalty shoot-out. Supremely confident after that victory, the Brazilians were primed for the final against opponents who had been turning on the style and drawing appreciative nods match after match.

The influence of Europe — where many a Brazilian player ply their craft these days — was unmistakable in the methods of Dunga as his men stifled the Argentine ways in the midfield and displayed a solidity in defence that is not exactly a Brazilian trait. But flair wasn’t given the go by completely, in the counter-attacks they shaped to wipe out the Argentine challenge. The uncertainty that accompanied Brazil’s entry into the tournament had vanished long before the final whistle and the team that departed Venezuela was high on hope for the future, under a coach with a clear vision of his goals. Dunga’s Brazil, indeed, will delight, but not at the cost of losing a game.