Argentina coach Diego Maradona, who scored the famous "hand of God' goal against England at the 1986 World Cup, said Monday that Brazil are still favourites in South Africa even though they sometimes need to score with the arm, DPA reported.
On Sunday, Brazil striker Luis Fabiano admitted using his arm to help him score his second goal against Ivory Coast.
"He controlled the ball twice with his arm before he scored. And the goal was scored at a crucial point in time of the match. It gave Brazil a solid 2-0 lead," said Maradona as he took a dig at his country's arch-rivals.
"I like Brazil even though they are not playing well and even if they have to use their arms to score. They still mange to win and they remain the favourites to win the World Cup."
Maradona predicted that besides Brazil, teams like Italy, Germany and Spain would get to the knockout stage of this tournament despite the difficulties they are currently facing.
"I remember the 1982 World Cup, when Italy drew with Cameroon and Peru, but still managed to reach the final and win the World Cup. I still think they will make it out of their group as would the other usual suspects despite the difficulties they are now facing," he offered.
"There are no outstanding teams so far because we are just starting; starting up the engines as it were. When the competition narrows down, we will know who is in the best shape."