Brazil have secured their place in the knock out stages of the Women's World Cup following a 1-0 victory over Spain.
In a game of few chances, it was Brazil that ran out winners to keep them top of group E.
A close range tap in from Andressa Alves late in the first half was enough to separate the two sides after she took advantage of a kindly fallen goal-line clearance.
Defeat here for Spain means they rely on a win in their final group game if they have any hope of progressing into the next round.
Nervy opening sees chances at both ends
It was an even start to the first half, both sides cancelling each other out in the opening stages.
The first real chance of the game fell to Spain’s Natalia when she met a long ball from defence, but failure to make clean contact with it left the striker frustrated.
Spain began to find their feet and push forward but without the final execution Brazilian keeper Luciana remained untested. They were however, unfortunate not to take the lead on 13 minutes when Rafaelle was forced to make a very nervous clearance that just missed her own post.
At the other end, Brazil struggled to even penetrate a more compact Spanish defence, despite waves of pressure. A string of important tackles prevented their prolific forwards getting anywhere near goal.
But with every attack forward from the Brazilians, the stronger they became and with 44 minutes on the clock the Spanish defence was finally broken as they went 1-0 down.
Celia Jimenez managed to clear Alves’s shot off the line with a sliding attempt but the striker followed it up giving her an easy tap in to open the scoring right on the stroke of half time.
Half time: Brazil 1-0 Spain
It was Brazil that looked the brighter of the two sides after the break with Formiga and Marta linking up well in the final third.
Their hard work going forward almost allowed Alves to double her tally when she found herself unmarked in the area, but the striker could only fire her shot into the side netting.
Moments later Ainhoa Tirapu was called into action, the Spanish keeper just got a hand to a spectacular shot from Andressa to tip it over the crossbar and keep Spain in the game.
As the half wore on, Spain were finally handed a rare second half chance in the form of a thunderous cross met by Natalia. Her effort was struck wide but in making contact she acquired an injury that halted her participation in the game.
Marta produced a spectacular individual piece of skill before selflessly setting up her teammates, it was only Ainhoa Tirapu who again kept the score line at 1-0.
Spain go in search of equaliser
With three minutes to go, Spain were handed a glorious chance to salvage something from the game when Vero Boquete broke into the box. The pressure proved to be too much for the captain who stumbled over the ball and left Brazil with an easy clearance.
Another dramatic moment saw Spain hit the post in extra time after a wave of pressure but their intense spell of attacks proved to be too little too late with Brazil maintaining a clean sheet.
Defeat here for Spain leaves them relying on a win in their final group game against South Korea if they have any hope of progressing. Brazil remain top of group E after two dominant performances.