Brazil qualified for the second round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup by beating Ivory Coast 3 – 1 in emphatic fasion at Soccer City in Soweto last night.

Two goals from Luis Fabiano and one from Elano sealed the win which was blighted by a late red card shown to playmaker Kaka two minutes from time.

Coasting and untroubled at 3-0 and with the game drifting to its obvious conclusion, Ivory Coast pulled a goal back when captain Didier Drogba headed home and seven minutes later the game exploded into life in the wrong way with a fracas that seemed utterly at odds with what had gone on before.

It began when Ivorian substitute Kader Keita crashed to the ground in apparant agony holding his face after television replays showed he had been barely nudged in the chest by Kaka, and the Ivorians obvious frustrations boiled over.

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Day two of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations delivered more shocks as Algeria crashed to minnows Malawi and favourites Ivory Coast stuttered against Burkina Faso.

Away from the pitch Angolan security forces, who arrested two suspects in connection with Friday’s deadly attack on Togo, sealed off the footballers’ village in Cabinda in a bid to ward off any further attacks.

It was going to be a tall order to follow up Sunday’s sensational curtain raiser when Mali fought back from four goals down to snatch a point against hosts Angola, but little Malawi managed it.

In only their second ever appearance in the competition they inflicted a remarkable 3-0 thrashing of Algeria, who arrived in Angola proudly carrying their ticket to the World Cup.

But the Carthage Eagles looked anything but world class as they were torn apart in the searing heat.

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At least 19 people were killed in a stadium crush during a World Cup qualifier between Ivory Coast and Malawi in Abidjan on Sunday.

A rush by spectators led to the collapse of a wall, medical officials said. Police then fired tear gas to clear the crowd, causing a stampede which also left many people seriously injured.

“We have 19 dead and many seriously injured,” a military source at the stadium said.

The crush occurred after part of a wall collapsed when ticketless fans stormed one of the entrances to the 45 000-capacity Houphouet-Boigny arena in the West African country’s main city, Abidjan.

“Spectators who did not buy tickets were jostling before the match,” Sports Minister Dagobert Banzio said on state television. “They smashed one of the main gates of the stadium. They were trampled.”

He put the number of injured at 132.

“There were lots of supporters outside who wanted to get in,” Interior Minister Desire Tagro said. “There was a crush.”

Ivory Coast defeated Malawi 5-0 in the World Cup qualifier.

Riots and crushes are common at African soccer stadiums, which are frequently overcrowded.

The tragedy followed similar incidents which have marred international matches in Africa in the last decade, including two separate ones in Zambia and the death of 13 people in Zimbabwe nine years ago.

Fifa instigated a programme of stadium inspections across Africa before the 2010 World Cup qualifiers and Abidjan’s Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium was passed as safe for international matches.

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