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This Wednesday, Brazil host the second leg of the modestly entitled 'super-classic of the Americas' against Argentina - an old tradition which has now been brought back.

- a result that came as a big disappointment to the Brazilians. With both sides at full strength a draw would be seen as entirely normal.

But for these games only home-based players are considered, and it is here that Brazil thought they were going into the game with a 12th player - the country's economic boom.

Argentina is already at a huge disadvantage in terms of population, 40 million against 195. At the moment there is a big difference in currencies - Brazil's is very strong.

With this in mind, has just published some facts and figures highlighting the financial chasm between clubs on either side of the border.

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No doubt about the highlight of last week's between Argentina and Brazil - the moment in the second half when Brazil striker produced his speciality 'lambreta' dribble.

Cutting in from the right he ran over the ball, and then flicked it with his right foot against his left, in such a way that it did not just loop over his bewildered marker, but also fell on an ideal trajectory for him to continue his run and meet it with a lobbed volley, probably an intended cross, that looped off the far post.

It is a remarkable skill - all the more so coming from a big centre forward more known for power than finesse who was playing park football just a few years ago and now plays for Internacional.

Damiao, 22, is enjoying a dream year. He is not yet the finished article - his back-to-goal game has plenty of room for improvement. But producing such a moment of skill in just his fourth Brazil appearance did wonders for his dream of leading Brazil's attack in the . His 'lambreta' dribble is the essence of South American football - in a tight spot, with few available options, a player improvises a solution.

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A year ago, I spoke to a few minutes after he had . I caught up with him again a few days ago as, recovering from injury, he watched his international team-mates train for .

He was, he said, thoroughly delighted with his first season in the . Despite a few problems adaptating, the whole experience had more than matched his expectations. Twelve months on, he was in no doubt that he was a much better and more complete player, emphasising in particular that he had learned to play at a higher tempo.

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, their coach Oscar Washington Tabarez, with typical wisdom, was guarding against complacency.

"Winning the Copa doesn't give us any guarantees in terms of the World Cup qualifiers," he said. "They are much more competitive than this tournament."

On Friday, in their first outing since the triumph in Argentina, it took Uruguay just 13 seconds to realise that the Copa belongs to the past.

That is how long Ukraine needed to get the ball into the back of the Uruguayan net in the friendly in Kharkiv.

The Sky Blues hit back to win 3-2 - the decisive goal set up by Luis Suarez for Abel Hernandez, a jet-heeled, left-footed striker who, like Liverpool new boy Sebastian Coates, is a graduate from Uruguay's excellent under-20 side of 2009.

It is this conveyor belt of talent that is Uruguay's best hope of maintaining their momentum.

Tabarez is correct. The next set of World Cup qualifiers, which get underway in South America next month, will surely be the most competitive ever. The evidence was there in the Copa, and was reinforced in the weekend's round of warm-up friendlies.

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