This game, along with the next two in this series, was arranged not by the Soccer Federation but by a private consortium headed up by the bejewelled, cigar smoking, stockbroking, rolls royce driving, big soccer guy wanting to being Rene Rivkin. Well I suppose if he can bring Brazil and put on games like this he's got me.

Brazil hadn't been in the country very long so jetlag might have been a factor especially early in the game when Australia were running amok. Hell I thought the guys in Green and Yellow were Brazil until I cottoned on that the guys in Blue and White were the visitors.

It was in this early period when Australia won a corner, had Nick Rizzo take it and as Fabio came running out of goal to catch the ball he was stranded as Emerton rose at the far post to head the ball into the net virtually uncontested. Yay Australia!

Now the brazilian lads are probably keenly aware that they are about as you get, and whatever else they might think I suspect they see Australia as the Aussies might feel about Brazil if this were a game of rugby. Having gone 1 down is doubtlessly quite an affront to them and as I have seen Brazil do in the past they mixed it up with the rough stuff. It wasn't malicious but Danny Milosevic got a cut in his lip after being clattered into and Raphael Bove was seeing stars and got a cut cheek after a similar clash so it wasn't a friendly either. In an effort to get some control ref Micallef doled out Yellow Cards. On 13 minutes Matuzalem got one for a tackle on Blatsis, Marco Antonio's petulant kicking away of the ball as the Australians caught him offside again also warranted a card according to Micallef and just to show that Australia can do what Brazil does Clayton Zane, who had been earning the ire of Brazilian defenders, got one for following through on a ball which had been collected by the goalkeeer Fabio. Infact the entire night Zane was being tugged and pushed by defenders and in turn he did the same to them. I can say there were at least two occasions when Australia might have earned a penalty had Micallef not felt both parties at fault.

For their early dominance Australia had the game wrested back from their grasp and when Eriberto, assisted by some intelligent off the ball running, cut a swathe through the Australian half and let fly from outside the area the ball was going in just one place. Goal. Infact Eriberto, apart from his physical resemblance, played much like Zalayeta of Uruguay but wasn't given the sort of assistance one might expect from his teammates. Largely because those teammates were busily stopping the Australians from giving assistance to their forwards.

Before halftime there was enough time for Eriberto and Colosimo to get yellow cards. At halftime the "match stats" showed Australia had had 8 shots on goal to 5, won 4 corners to 3 and held the ball 45% of the time. In all an impressive showing though it must be said that the best chance of the half for a 3rd goal fell to Marco Antonio who missed only through some desperate defending and a wish to take too long on the ball.

The second half saw Australia again assert themselves, Emerton thwarted in his quest for a second goal by the upright. However better was to come. Infact the substitutions of Carle and Damianos for Curcija and Culina seemed like a defensive move, but Curcija ended up scoring. A foul by Fernando Santos on Rizzo in the Brazilian half sent the Liverpool reserve rolling almost into the penalty box. Sometimes you just have to make sure the ref notices, though I'm not implying the free kick was ill-deserved, far from it. It was a clear trip and the yellow card was fully deserved. From that free kick Grella floated the ball into the area and for some reason all the defenders were beyond the far post so that when Curcija ran in and sidefooted the ball past the keeper on his line no one was goalside of him. Unforgivable. Though Brazil had looked pretty dismal on a lot of dead ball plays.

After that Brazil seemed to tire badly and perhaps tried to cut their losses and take their chances on the break rather than go on an all out assault. It also sets up the series rather nicely for Adelaide and Perth. The last lucky recipient of the games yellow card total went to Rizzo after he interfered with a Brazilian free kick.

For Australia Rizzo, Emerton and Colosimo caught the eye but all the players deserve applause for managing to do what the senior side has never done. Beat Brazil. Infact after the 6-0 loss Australia suffered in the Confederation Cup final late last year I had fears of a similar hammering. Then again I also thought this game would be poorly attended, how dumb am I?

I suppose the Argentinian born Blanco took a double delight from the win of his charges. Hopefully this level of play will continue, it was a great game to watch not just for the result. Brazil have never won the Olympic Gold..., the only major trophy to elude them so far. Maybe Australia can be counted upon to keep them waiting until after the 2000 games.

4 minutes in Eriberto tugged back Vincent Grella to earn himself a yellow card. The pointlessness of it all exposed since Grella wasn't really very near the ball anyway, a minute later Australia were getting ready to take a corner when Blatsis went down with a gash to his cheek, replays showing Eriberto obliging with an elbow to the face to facilitate the injury. Brazzale produced a second yellow (rather than the red right off) and then the red. Fernando Santos also lashed out with his arm at Nick Rizzo on 9 minutes also earning a yellow card...

It was then somewhat irritating for me, as a supporter of Australia, that Brazil should score first. Brazil won a free kick far enough from goal for it not to be too frightening but Fernando's ball into the area was missed entirely by an Australian defender and fell to Gustavo. Gustavo simplay squared the ball across the goalface and Marco Antonio at the far post shot for goal. Danny Milosevic got down to the ball but it ricoched off in at snuck over the line. Brazil proving again that they can overcome such obstacles as being reduced to 10 and still playing aggressively and competitively.

Brazil fell back a little after that and Colosimo and Rizzo were on the hard end of some more tackels the one on Rizzo by Rodrigo was penalised with a yellow, Matuzalem's accidental clash with Colosimo not so harshly penalised.

However Australia must have given the Brazilian coach grey hairs by managing to score just before the break. Again the goal came from a set play, Australia being awarded a free kick from slightly more in front and closer than the Brazilian which led to a goal. Nick Rizzo curled his shot low around the wall and the goalkeeper spilled the ball in front of him, the followup was blocked too but Zane, initially running towards his own goal to get to the second rebound first, swung his leg at the ball and sent it into the net. It was an ugly goal but they all count the same.

Before the 1-1 deadlock was broken much went on in the way of disjointed play (thanks to a string of fouls and an enthusiastic referee) Colosimo and Matuzalem both getting carded and several changes made by the coaches. However Curcija once again proved to be the "super sub" when a corner by Rizzo was nodded on to the far post by Colosimo and after a further touch by Zane the ball finally came to Curcija who simply had to poke the ball into the net. This he managed alright and then launched into his rather bizarre celebration in which he makes shadow puppets at his teammates.

Australia threatened to run away with the game when Rizzo had made a run at the defence and was either inexpertly tackled or cynically brought down in the area, sadly I do not recall who it was. Still Rizzo (V-hicle....anyone else keep thinking of Sgt Rizzo from M*A*S*H?) brushed himself off and took the shot himself sending Fabio the wrong way with his left footed shot to the right of the keeper.

Brazil weren't having any of that and replied barely a minute later. A free kick, taken from almost the same spot as the one which led to Australia's first goal, this time launched by Edu almost broke the crossbar. However the ball came back out and while Australia's net was disturbed soon afterwards they were lucky to get away with this one.

Another free kick was less spectacular but got a far better result when despite the best efforts of opponents and teammates alike the ball came to the feet of Marco Antonio. He had the coolness to sidestep the keeper and poke the ball into the net rather than just blasting the ball, hoping it would go in. I liked this and it's a hard thing to do in such a situation so I find it all the more notable. In the end the goal was scored easily.

From there on in Brazil looked by far the more dangerous of the two sides, one suspects the Aussies were getting very tired but this is hardly an excuse since Brazil would be just as tired and had to make up the 1 man shortfall for almost the whole game. All the same the match was overwhelmingly in Brazils favour for the rest of the game and to be honest when Milosevic (in going for the ball) missed collecting a cross but collected Edu instead I was sure a penalty would be given, I am still sure it deserved one, but none was forthcoming for Brazil. But for that incident and some good chances late on Brazil might have tied the game at 3-3. However they didn't and thus lost the series after 2 games.

I have no idea what to expect in the last game of the series.

New boy Alessandro kept the tone of the series going receiving a yellow card for the evermore impressive Nick Rizzo and no-one was genuinely surprised when Australia scored the opening goal. On the right flank at about halfway Gustavo (not sure if it was him) and Emerton contested a high ball. Well actually Gustavo was far better positioned and there wasn't much of a contest...until he missed the ball which allowed Brett Emerton to run down the right virtually unopposed and once just inside the area he let fly with what I believe was a shot at goal. However Brett didn't connect cleanly and the ball skewed across goal and would have gone out for a goal kick had it not been for Zane at the far post poking the ball into the net.

Rather more unexpected was Zane scoring again, and again a Brazilian defender had cause to hang his head in shame. A hopeful long ball by Con Blatsis was easily intercepted by Gustavo (this time I am sure it was him) but his header ensured tragedy. The ball glanced off back into the path of Clayton Zane who was roughly between Gustavo and the goalkeeper. Zane just took the ball, headed off for goal and shot hard, and only just past, Fabio for goal #2.

At this stage the commentators started asking for a Brazil goal to make it interesting while I was at home hoping Australia could rack up 5 or 6. I guess it's all a matter of priorities.

The scoreline forced Barroso to make a change, any change, to the team and it was Rodrigo who made way. It was his replacement Gaviao who made Brazil look much better. Brazil got their first on target shot just on 1/2 an hour into the game and soon after had a serious scoring chance when a point blank shot from Gaviao was blocked only by the body of Laybutt, the latter simply being in the way rather than getting in the way. The subsequent corner provided Brazil with another chance which Milosevic saved. Milosevic again earned his keep when after a Bove error Edu got his chance to score but was foiled by the Australian goalkeeper.

Just before halftime both Ferrugem and Edu both managed to get booked for clumsy tackles and if halftime statistics are to be believed Australia had held 66% of possession.

Brazil played much better in the second half, no doubt the halftime talk by the coach would have been worth hearing. So it was that just after Milosevic again performed his heroics by saving from a Gustavo free kick Brazil did get a goal. A cross by Brazil hit Con Blatsis and the ball chose to fall into the path of Edu who was never going to miss from 6 yards out. One suspects the Aussies were starting to nod off.

Australia still had some chances to advance their half of the scoreline, Fabio showed that he can stop a ball when a Curcija shot looked like it was going to earn him his 3rd goal in 3 games. However as the whole thing wound down all that really happened was more cards for Baser and Pontes and a series of substitutions by Australia to soak up as much time as possible.

Any win over Brazil is something to cherish for someone like Australia. To win a series 3-0, even against a below full strength side is encouraging and perhaps the Australian hopes of getting a medal in 2000 are not so unrealistic at all.