Brazil 0 Portugal 2
THIS FRIENDLY GAME was a fun night at the Emirates, especially for us, as we had a freebie in a box.
Arrriving at the Arsenal tube station, the Brazilians were singing as we walked up the sloping tunnel to Gillespie Road.It was buzzy, bubbly, festive, a good party atmosphere, even on a cold night in February.
After 3 minutes, Cristiano Ronaldo beat Lucio on the left, very easily. After 5, Edmilson fouled him in the centre circle.
Rafael Sobis missed a promising chance for Brazil, hitting keeper Ricardo from a good position in the box.
Kaka had a nice little run but he shot wide – well wide.I thought that run might be the first of many, or the first of several. But that was all Kaka did.
Edmilson was booked for a foul on Ronaldo .
A rocket shot by Quaresma beat the post by, I thought, 14 inches.
I was amazed when Deco was bodychecked and no foul was given
It was tight game because Ronaldinho, Robinho and Wagner Love were not playing for Brazil. Fred got little service and was up against Jorge Andrade and Ricardo Carvalho, two tough defenders
It was 0-0 at half-time but Portugal had shaded it.
Second half, the Brazilian drum was beating in the corner but the immobile Big Bertha had come on, a.k.a.Adriano, and he was far too static. A big lump who shames the gold shirt of Brazil.
It was still tight, still quite competitive, although the game sagged when Ronaldo and Deco went off. But then Quaresma hit a perfect curving ball into the box and Simao knocked it in from 14 yards, a tidy half-volley that bounced past keeper Helton and went just inside the post. Simao guided the ball, rather than whacking it, so he meant it to bounce. That bounce made it virtually impossible for any keeper to have saved it.
Then Carvalho scored similar goal from what might have been a half-chance to a lesser player, a bold connection on a Hugo Viana cross which beat Helton all ends up.
2-0 to Big Phil. Good goals in 82 and 89 minutes.
An enjoyable night, then, with Cristiano Ronaldo doing very well only two days after playing for Man United against Spurs, and marred only by the flashing, multi-coloured advertising boards round three sides of the pitch, which are quite ridiculous. Strobing Coca Cola ads in red and silver must be distracting for the players.
Arsenal should have more class than that. There’s loadsa money in tickets, boxes, shirts, sponsorship, TV money, prize money. You don’t need ugly, flashy messages pumping out all through the game just for the TV cameras. Has it been proved these ads sell goods and services? I doubt it.
So there it was. Portugal had won 2-0.
Note : CRISTIANO RONALDO never hides.
You can kick him and boo him and kick him again but he keeps coming, keeps dribbling., keeps shooting, keeps going for headers, keeps testing you, keeps stretching you, keeps getting up when you scythe him down, as Gilberto Silva did on the halfway line.
Ronaldo, who was 22 on Monday, was captain for the night. He has bottle. He never hides. And I love that.
British fans are wrong to boo him. He didn’t get Rooney sent off. Rooney was fouled twice and he pressed his left foot gently into Carvalho’s groin. You can’t do that. So the ref sent him off. The ref was wrong to refuse to give a foul when Rooney was kicked the first time. And he was wrong not to give a foul when Rooney was fouled a second time. But he was right to send him off for retaliating in the way that he did.
Anyway, that’s history, so let’s forget it.
We know that Big Phil can coach Brazil. And he can stop Brazil. And he can beat Brazil. He beat them in his first game when Deco scored from a free kick on a monsoon night in Porto when Roberto Carlos was sent off.
“Prince Harry is here in a box,” I was told.
“He’s sobered up after Saturday night? ” I replied.
Apparently, Harry and eight army pals spent £11,000 on champagne, vodka and rum after the England-Scotland rugby match. Nice to know British soldiers can still enjoy a night out.
Your humble reporter was happy enough with two goals and two glasses of wine. We had a good time tonight.
BRAZIL 4-2-3-1 Helton; Maicon (Alves, 64), Lucio, Juan (Luisao, 45), Gilberto; Gilberto Silva, Edmilson (Tinga, 63); Elano, Kaka, Rafael Sobis (Adriano, 45); Fred (Diego, 68)
PORTUGAL 4-3-3 Ricardo; Miguel, Carvalho (Meira, 90), Andrade, Caneira (Ferriera, 45); Tiago · (Joao Moutinho, 68), Petit, Deco (Viana, 61); Ronaldo (Simao, 63) Postiga (Nuno Gomes, 75), Quaresma .