25th June, 2010
DURBAN, South Africa (AFP) Â Â – BRAZIL TOP GROUP G after a dull-as-ditchwater goalless 0-0 draw with Portugal. Does anyone know the Portuguese for “what a load of rubbish?”
Portugal take second place in the group as their single point from the draw gives them one point more than Ivory Coast, who went out on a high with a 3-0 victory over North Korea.
90+5 mins: FULL-TIME! Portugal 0 Brazil 0
90+4 mins: Portugal’s Danny collides with Julio Cesar, whose studs strike Danny’s stomach. Simao takes the corner but his kick is weak and the match ends scoreless.
– 90 mins: Five minutes of extra time. “Is the referee a masochist?” says Mick McCarthy.
– 89 mins: Can we have a new statistic please? The amount of time the ball has spent in the centre circle. This game could be a record!
– 84 mins: More substitutions: Veloso of Portugal for Raul Meireles and Brazil’s Grafite for Luis Fabiano. Not sure of the point. Neither team seems bothered about scoring. What is the incentive, with their second round places assured?
– 81 mins: Brazil’s Ramires on for Julio Baptista.
80 mins: Ivory Coast now 3-0 up against  North Korea but still a long way from snatching Portugal’s second round berth.
– 77 mins: Portugal’s Simao and Ronaldo manage to work an exciting attack  up the left but Ronaldo fires wide.
73 mins: Is the centre-line magnetised? Both teams seem continually drawn back to it, lacking the dynamism to go for goal.
– 70 mins: Ronalda falls down in a tackle with Lucio but but his appeals for a foul fall on deaf ears. Why does such a great player continue trying to cheat?
– 65 mins: Mick McCarthy on the BCC points out that the match at least highlights the effectiveness of both the Brazilian and Portuguese defence.
– 62 mins: Pedro Mendes comes on for Portugal, replacing Pepe.
– 58 mins: Cristiano Ronaldo breaks away down the right this time and puts in a superb pass to Raul Meireles on the left but Brazil keeper Julio Ceasar homes in Meireles who shoots wide.
56 mins: Luis Fabiano lobs a ball towards the Portuguese goal but more in hope than expectation and Eduardo comfortably gathers it.ine.
-54 mins: Portugal’s Simao on for Duda as Carlos Queiroz  looks for ways to break the stalemate.
– 51 mins: Ronaldo tries a shot from a 40 yard free kick and it starts off on target but it hits Pepe and deflects over the goal.
-48 mins: Christiano Ronaldo breaks away down the left but  Brazil’s Lucio manages to halt his run and sends the ball out for a corner.
– 1502 GMT: Play resumes, such as it is!
– 1500 GMT: AFP’s Claire de Oliveira messages me from Rio to say the streets and shopping ventres are almost deserted as banks, offices and schoo’;s have closed but the bars and restaurants are thronged with fans.
– 1450 GMT: the BBC commentary team reckon there were only two clear chances in the first half: Luis Fabiano’s strike and a Nilmar strike which Eduardo knocked out against the post
– 45 mins: HALF TIME! Portugal 0 Brazil 0
Plenty of yellow cards but no goals in an unexpectedly lifeless first half.
– 45 mins: YELLOW CARD! Portugal’s Coentrao for an illegal challenge on Dani Alves.
44 mins: Brazil bring on Josue to replace Felipe Mello
– 41 mins: Christiano Ronaldo fires speculatively from about 25 yards but the shot fails to test Julio Cesar in the Brazilian goal, who gathers it nimbly.
– 39 mins: A Luis Fabiano shot almost scrapes Portugal’s lefthand post, Â his closest attempt yet.
33 mins: Eduardo momentarily fumbles a clearance with Brazil’s Luis Fabiano right in front of him but the Portuguese keeper quickly manages to get the ball away.
– 30 mins: YELLOW CARD! Portugal’s Tiago has his name taken for a blatant dive in the Brazil penalty area
29 mins: Dani Alves takes Brazil’s fourth corner of the game from the right flag but  it is no more effective than the first three.
– 25 mins: YELLOW CARD! Portugal’s Duda for over-enthusiasticly calling for Duda to be sent off
24 mins: YELLOW CARD! Brazil’s Juan for handball
22 mins: Ivory Coast are 2-0 up against North Korea but need another eight to have a hope of qualifying and denying Portugal a second round place.
– 20 mins: Portugal striker Christiano Ronaldo dashes up the left then promptly loses the ball to Juan.
– 16 mins: Eduardo in the Portugal goal easily saves a Dani Alves chip.
– 15 mins: Brazil’s Luis Fabiano booked for forcefully interrupting an impressive Fabio Contrao run up the left wing.
– 13 mins: The teams are playing cat and mouse in midfield with neither side yet having made a significant  breakthrough.
– 10: Julio Baptista knocks down Portugal’s Tiago to give away a free kick.
-8 mins: Portugal’s Fabio Coentrao stops two Brazilian moves with confident clearances from the penalty area.
– 5 mins: Portugal’s Pepe is fouled on the line and rolls over a couple of times to make the point.
2 mins: Daniel Alves takes a corner for Brazil  but  Portugal clear uit quickly.
1400 GMT: Brazil win the toss and kick off
1357 GMT: On a downbeat note, Brazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has cancelled his planned trip to Canada for this week’s G20 summit due to deadly floods in the northeast, a presidential spokesman has announced.
1355 GMT: The national anthems play.
–1350 GMT: Â “This game is a test of our maturity,” says Portugal manager Carlos Queiroz on hiws way into the ground. “All the team want to play a good match because the whole world is watching Portugal-Brazil. And today is a party day because today Durban is a Portuguese speaking city.”
DURBAN, South Africa (AFP) -Â 1350 GMT: Â “This game is a test of our maturity,” says Portugal manager Carlos Queiroz on hiws way into the ground. “All the team want to play a good match because the whole world is watching Portugal-Brazil. And today is a party day because today Durban is a Portuguese speaking city.”
1339 GMT: My colleague Luke Phillips at the ground in Durban says the sky is blue and  the temperature is up to 27 degrees C (84F).
“The beachfront as I passed en route to the statium was more Copacabana or the Algarve than South Africa, such were the huge crowds of fans thronging the promenade, where the number of people in the red and green of Portugal just won over the blue and yellow of Brazil amidst a truly carnival atmosphere.”
1335 GMT: Â Roma midfielder Julio Baptista comes into the Brazilian team for suspended playmaker Kaka.
Brazil coach Dunga also gives Villarreal striker Nilmar a run out alongside Luis Fabiano, with Robinho on the bench.
For Portugal, Duda comes in for Miguel in defence along with Ricardo Costa, Pepe replaces Pedro Mendes in midfield, while Danny starts up front.
1330 GMT: The teams have been announced:
Portugal: Eduardo – Duda, Ricardo Costa, Ricardo Carvalho, Bruno Alves, Fabio Coentrao – Tiago, Pepe, Raul Meireles – Cristiano Ronaldo (capt), Danny
Coach: Carlos Queiroz
Brazil: Julio Cesar – Maicon, Lucio (cap), Juan, Michel Bastos – Dani Alves, Gilberto Silva, Felipe Melo – Julio Baptista – Luis Fabiano, Nilmar
Coach: Dunga
Referee: Benito Archundia (MEX)
WELCOME TO THE MOSES MABHIDA STADIUM in Durban for the World Cup live text commentary on the clash between favourites Brazil and their former colonial masters Portugal.
Five-time champions Brazil have already qualified for the round of 16, having racked up a 2-1 win over North Korea and a 3-1 victory over Ivory Coast to sit pretty on six points. A draw would see them top the group.
Portugal, on a run of 17 matches without defeat, drew 0-0 with the Ivorians before routing North Korea 7-0 to put them in second spot in the group and needing only a draw to advance to the next round.
Even if they were to lose against Brazil, Portugal’s goal difference is such that Ivory Coast, with one point, would have to win handsomely against North Korea to be close to threatening them for second spot.
The games kick off at 1400 GMT. Â Stay with us for all the action!