National Team Friendly

National Stadium
Spectators: 10301 (Terracing: 7726, Seating: 2369, VIP seats: 206) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Luís Senna started the match with the kick off. An unexpectedly hard shot by Lúcio Bastos in the 4th minute of play forced U21 Portugal's goalkeeper Gigi Buffon to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. When U21 Brazil's Luís Senna in the 9th minute got a chance for a shot 9th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye U21 Portugal's goalie prevented a goal. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Germano Vasconcelos during the 10th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. Gigi Buffon showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Luís Senna in the 13th minute of the match. U21 Brazil's Vicente Xavier played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Cândido Ramires in the 16th minute of play. When Zé Pedro de Senna fell near the penalty area in the 19th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored U21 Brazil's protests and gave Zé Pedro de Senna a yellow card for diving instead. A collision led to U21 Brazil getting a freekick after 19 minutes play. Zé Pedro de Senna hit a great ball. Vicente Xavier took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Germano Vasconcelos, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. 22 minutes into the match, U21 Brazil's Luís Senna sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Gigi Buffon narrowly saved just below the crossbar. After 23 minutes, Luís Senna mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the U21 Brazil and the U21 Portugal players grew even worse after the yellow card. Gigi Buffon made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Gabriel Batistuta in the 29th minute of play. Gigi Buffon showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Luís Senna, who was totally free with the ball in the 33rd minute. U21 Portugal's Gigi Buffon played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Gabriel Batistuta in the 34th minute of play. An unexpectedly hard shot by Germano Vasconcelos in the 35th minute of play forced U21 Brazil's goalkeeper Vicente Xavier to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. In the 37th minute, Germano Vasconcelos hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Gigi Buffon stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Luís Senna's shot from short distance in the 42nd minute. After the first half the score was level. The break gave the players a chance to catch their breath, whilst the managers went over the tactics with them again.

51 minutes into the match, U21 Portugal's goal looked a bit too open when Gil Fernandez came free, but Gigi Buffon reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. The corner ended in Erasmo Damião almost managing to get the ball behind the net, but U21 Portugal's Gigi Buffon did a great save. In the 57th minute, U21 Portugal's goalie took a deep sigh of relief after Luís Senna fired away a hard shot that went just outside the left post. U21 Brazil's Vicente Xavier played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Juliano Arruda in the 63rd minute of play. The U21 Portugal fans' excitement grew in the 63rd match minute when U21 Portugal's Juliano Arruda looked to have a clear shot with the ball near the goal. The shot wasn't hard, but the ball still rolled over the goal line to make it 2-2 before the goalkeeper had a chance to intervene. U21 Brazil's Andrézinho Gaúcho was substituted for Gabriel Batistuta. U21 Portugal made a substitution. Lázaro Lamego replaced Cândido Ramires. U21 Brazil's Miguel Lira was substituted for Caetano Saad. The audience thought a goal was coming when Luís Senna got free with Gigi Buffon in the 69th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. Luís Senna could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 70th minute of the match, but Gigi Buffon made a huge save. Luís Senna who was well placed in front of the goal fired away a dangerous shot that in the 72ndth minute tested the skills of Gigi Buffon when he managed to save the team from getting behind. After some careless play in the U21 Portugal defense, Andrézinho Gaúcho kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Gigi Buffon. The U21 Portugal fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Gigi Buffon should have stopped the shot. U21 Brazil's Vicente Xavier played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Paulo Baião in the 76th minute of play. Gigi Buffon made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Luís Senna in the 78th minute of play. In the 88th minute of the match, Cláudio Nogueira got a very nice opportunity to score, but Gigi Buffon was well-placed and pushed the ball away from the goal at the left post. In the 91st minute, Aprígio Camacho hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Gigi Buffon showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Andrézinho Gaúcho, who was totally free with the ball in the 94th minute. The referee blew the final whistle, and the away crowd roared, having watched U21 Brazil eke out a victory against a very well matched opponent.