Story by Koh Yizhe. Pictures by Teo Zhijia, Lai Jun Wei and Leslie Tan.
National Stadium, Monday, July 28, 2008 – The Brazil Olympic football team beat a Singapore Selection side 3-0 in the last match at the National Stadium last night. Goals from Diego, Ronaldinho and Jo were enough to seal the defeat for Singapore. For the most part, the Singapore Selection held their own against the Samba boys while a red card for defender Alex Silva near the end of the match gave fans another talking point.
Singapore started on a positive note, with Ridhun Muhamad (#2) sending a header across the Brazilian goal which Brazil goalkeeper Renan (#12) comfortably collected. After that, Brazil controlled the game. An on-target bicycle kick attempt by Diego and neat touches by Ronaldinho followed as Brazil played in Singapore's half. AC Milan's young star Alexandre Pato (Brazil, #9) was the center of all the action. Despite all that, Singapore's defenders and goalkeeper were equal to it.
Singapore had a penalty appeal brushed away when Aleksandar Duric (Singapore # 9) went down in the box. However, with Brazil playing in Singapore's half and Singapore losing the ball each time they attacked, it was just a matter of time before Brazil scored. The breakthrough came after 20 minutes.
A beautiful back-heel from newly-appointed captain Ronaldinho (Brazil #10) opened the way for Werder Bremen's Diego (Brazil, #11) to unleash an unstoppable angled shot that flew past Hassan Sunny. Brazil continued to push for another and they were rewarded just after 10 minutes. A beautiful over-the-head through pass by Diego left Singapore's defenders stranded and forced the goalkeeper out. The ball was squared to two-time World Player of the Year Ronaldinho for an easy tap in and the second goal of the game. Baihakki Khaizan expressed visible frustration at himself for allowing Ronaldinho the luxury of enough time to have three touches in the 6-yard box before scoring.
Singapore did have their moments, with John Wilkinson (Singapore, #14) making a darting run into the heart of the Brazilian defence. He had the better option of a pass to Ridhuan on his right, but instead, he overran the ball and the chance was wasted.
Hassan Sunny made a point-blank save from Pato and the Kallang Wave came back as Singapore had their best spell at the end of the half. The half finished with Fahrudin Mustafic (Singapore, #15) and Anderson (Brazil, #8) blowing long-range efforts over the bar.
With teams allowed to make 7 substitutes, the second half started with changes from both sides. It was a more open second half as these changes shook things up. Lionel Lewis, coming on for Hassan Sunny in the second half, can count himself lucky as a shot from Marcelo (Brazil, #6) flew just wide of his far post 8 minutes into the second half.
Singapore finally fulfilled their promise to attack in the second half when, after some good work by Wilkinson, Fazrul Nawaz (Singapore, #8) did well to keep the ball in as he squared it to Juma’at Jantan (#13). A strong shot from the edge of the area followed which forced Brazil goalkeeper Renan into a fine save. This was soon followed by shots from Fazrul on 20 minutes which flew wide, and Qiu Ll on 25 minutes which forced another fantastic save from Renan.
Brazil of course had their chances too, with a Ronldinho free kick that went through the wall saved easily by Lewis, and Rafael Sobis (Brazil, #17) just firing over after a nice pass from Ramires (Brazil, #15). Singapore had the every-solid Daniel Bennett (#16) to thank as he just intercepted a pass which flashed across goal from Ramires, after Lewis was beaten.
Lewis also made a wonderful save from Thiago Neves (Brazil, #16) as it looked like his shot was goal-bound in the 30th minute. Brazil looked the more likely team to score, and they finally did so on 33 minutes.
With his wonderful Brazilian skills, Thiago Neves (#16) drove into the box from the right flank past Juma’at Jantan. His pass to the far post took a touch off Lewis as it came to the lurking Jo (#18) of Manchester City who made an easy header into an unguarded net for a 3-0 scoreline.
Things got a little heated when Brazil defender Alex Silva (#3) was sent off near the end of the game after he gave Singapore substitute Qiu Li (#11) a bloody nose. Qiu Li had reacted badly to an earlier Ronaldinho tackle and made a threatening move against the Brazilian #10. The bloody nose was payback from Silva who must have decided a red card to protect his captain was worth it.
When asked for his comments on the game, Raddy Avramovic said, "We had 2 or 3 good shots, but if you don't score, you will lose. We never come to any game to defend. Because of the pressure from Brazil, we began losing the ball every time we attacked in the first half. The second half was how we wanted to play the match. Brazil are a team with great individuals, so good luck to them in the Olympic Games."
When asked to rate the Singapore team, Brazil Coach Dunga had this to say, "They leave a good impression on me. They had their moments in the match with good chances. Singapore was a good test for the Brazil team. I don't think we held back as we are still adjusting to the weather and trying to improve the fitness of different players. The players are also getting to know each other."
On their way back to the team bus, the Singapore Selection were all sporting t-shirts that had been signed by Ronaldinho in the dressing room. Said Baihakki Khaizan: “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity playing against Ronaldinho and so we just enjoyed it. He uses his body and his footwork is fantastic. We waited and did not commit because with Brazil, if you commit, you will look stupid.” Baihakki was seen talking to Ronaldinho in the game, and the Brazilian gestured to the dressing room with a raised hand. In all probability, they were discussing a jersey exchange, which was what transpired after the game.
It was a media circus with numerous journalists and photographers on hand. Three Brazilian camera crews were on hand and at every opportunity, Ronaldinho was mobbed with questions. Mustafic Fahrudin was star struck enough to insist on getting his picture taken with Ronaldinho with Aleksandar Duric drafted into picture-taking duties. The rest of the Singapore squad were busy snapping away on their mobile phones and compact camera. Precious, in a wheelchair recovering from an operation, also was there to get a picture with Ronaldinho. A huge crowd waited at Gate 1 to catch a glimpse of the Brazilian team bus as they exited and as the coach moved off slowly, a blizzard of camera flashlights ignited and fans screamed and waved.
REDpoll
Feel free to take part in the poll. Multiple answers are possible.
Loading ...Related story:
We support Brazil…no, Singapore, no, Brazil…
Brazil set the standards for exhibition football in Singapore
For my opinion the best is Alexandre Pato because he is younger than other..and he play very good..!
I Love Alexandre Pato..
Yizhe,
A Great writeup.
Almost like being there.
Congrats.
PuiSan
Yizhe, your story made me relive the match day again! And you shook Pato’s hand… Lucky!
[…] stories: Brazil warm up for Beijing Olympics with 3-0 win over Singapore We support Brazil…no, Singapore, no Brazil…Singapore and […]
wow photo 29 look awesome =D
[…] Related story: Brazil warm up for Beijing Olympics with 3-0 win over Singapore […]
Ronaldinho? Pato and Diego clearly showed their class but Ronaldinho didn’t seem eager to show some class and didn’t run as much.. Still it was a once in a life time experience!
Whooo, sexome Brazil. Ronaldinho is super good ttm!