A match heavy in expectations turned out to be a dud Friday, as Brazil and Portugal played to a goalless, at times violent draw in the World Cup at Durban. Both teams finished the Group Round match undefeated, but Brazil secured the top spot in Group G, with Portugal coming in a close second. A draw being a favourable result for both teams, it was almost as if they played for it.
The match featured a large amount of yellow cards given out during the first half, as well as two teams who seemed on the whole unwilling to take chances or satisfy their legions of fans.
Robinho was surprisingly left out of the starting eleven on the Brazilian side, with Nilmar as his replacement, while Julio Baptista took the place of midfielder Kaka who was ejected from the team’s last match for a controversial collision with Ivory Coast’s Keita.
No less than seven players were penalized in a violent first half including Felipe Melo, hauled off before halftime by head coach Dunga, as just as his feud with Pepe of Portugal threatened to turn into something even uglier.
At half time there had been only a combined three shots that were on target.
A few chances were given to Nilmar, who hit the post after a cross by Maicon, and was also able to succeed on a header that went just wide of the goal.
Hostility seemed to cool after the first half, and Portugal appeared sharper, with substitute Simao Sabrosa forcing Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar to make the kind of save a gymnast would have been qualified for.
A run by Ronaldo, with the ball then transferred to Meireles, likewise should have put Portugal ahead but was saved by Cesar who dived to make the save and was injured in the process. Brazil chanced playing without Robinho, who was given rest, as well as Kaka, and part of the laxness was undoubtedly due to the fact that they had already insured qualification in the round of sixteen.
Both teams are set to play again on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Despite the dull match, Brazil is still a heavy favourite in winning the cup this year, showcasing a squad that is demonstrably more physical and pragmatic than in recent years.
One of things analysts have noted is that Portugal failed to harness the talent of Ronaldo, something that was tantamount to a victory for Brazil, the five time World Cup champions. Ronaldo was able to score in Portugal’s last match against North Korea, now eliminated, which ended in a solid 7-0. It was his first goal internationally in a non-friendly since 2008, and it required a lucky bounce or two for him to score it.
The match was held as so listless some fans were even calling it fixed, and obliging FIFA to look into the game. Others said it was a stellar performance in which two top-tiered teams were able to hold each other at bay.
"I think it was a good game, but I was a little disappointed in the outcome," said Lilly Amorim, a Danbury resident. "Go Brazil." She added that was rather surprised at how cordial the rivalry had been between the two teams.
Brazil was colonized by Portugal in the sixteenth century, and rendered part of the Portuguese Empire. They didn’t acquire independence until 1822. At the time, due to the Napoleonic occupation of Portugal, the Portuguese royal family, the Braganzas went into exile in Brazil, instituting a period in which Brazil actually became the capital of the Portuguese Empire. This eventually inspired the founding of its independence, while still maintained by the Portuguese royal family, which originated a monarchical period in which two members of the family exercised joint rule.
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