By Brian Homewood (Reuters) - Italy playmaker Andrea Pirlo gave Brazilian fans a taste of what they were missing as he marked his 100th international appearance by orchestrating his side's 2-1 win against Mexico in the Confederations Cup on Sunday. The notoriously difficult to please Maracana crowd was united in its adulation of the 34-year-old, appreciating the sort of player their own country has struggled to produce and even shunned.

Spain striker Fernando Torres has a stark message for anyone who thinks the world and double European champions might take their foot off the gas at the Confederations Cup with one eye on next summer's World Cup. The Furia Roja are hungry for more, says the Chelsea forward. Spain, who Sunday take on South American champions Uruguay in their Confederations Cup opener in Recife, became the first national side to lift three consecutive major tournaments in retaining their European crown last year but Torres says there is more unfinished business here in Brazil.

After months of debate as to whether Brazil could meet the logistical challenge of staging a major sporting event, the country on Saturday prepared to kick off the Confederations Cup with the opening match against Asian champions Japan. The hosts, five-time world champions, are using the event, spread across six cities, as a dress rehearsal for next summer's World Cup, when 12 venues will host 32 teams compared with just eight participants at the Confederations tournament.

One year out from the World Cup in Brazil, where victory for the hosts is being seen as a must, an inexperienced Selecao featuring young prodigy Neymar are hoping to take advantage of the Confederations Cup to fine-tune their preparations. The five-time World Cup winners are hoping to go as far as possible in the competition, which starts on June 15, to win the traditional curtain-raiser to football's biggest prize for the fourth time.