Portugal and Brazil settle with a goalless draw

Portugal and Brazil got stuck at 0-0 during a poor (in terms of excitement and not in big names) game played at the Moses Mabhida Stadium of Durban. Nevertheless both teams left the match with exactly what they came for: the ticket to the second round of the World Cup 2010 finals, with Brazil placing first in Group G of the tournament. The match up between Portugal and Brazil did not really offer the spectacle fans expected, especially since both teams had already qualified, but everyone was celebrating after the final whistle.

Carlos Queiroz made four changes in Portugal’s roster to give some rest to his key players, and Dunga on the other side also had three new men in the squad. Right from the start it was obvious that both teams were looking for the draw that would automatically guarantee everyone a spot to the second round of the World Cup 2010 competition. Brazil had the overall ball possession throughout the entire match, and also had most of the chances whereas Portugal was looking to do something via counter attacks. The first opportunity of the game was for Brazil and Daniel Alves that fired a shot outside the penalty area barely missing the target. Juan saw a yellow card in 25′ for stopping a dangerous play using his hand, with Portugal saying the player should have seen a straight red. Five minutes later Brazil touched the goal but Nilmar’s shot hit the post after bouncing off Eduardo.

During the second half the game had pretty much the same motif, with Brazil having more chances and Portugal looking for a good opportunity to counter attack and open the score. The best moment for Portugal came in 60′, and after Cristiano Ronaldo dribbled past Brazil’s defence with the ball ending up to Raul Meireles that failed to hit the target. The game got a little bit more exciting at the end, but nothing changed on the scoreboard with both teams looking to preserve their strength for the second round of the World Cup 2010 finals.