The major news surrounding the match was the return of Flamengo winger Ronaldinho to the national set-up. He started alongside Neymar, Ganso and Leandro Damiao in what looked to be an attacking set-up for Mano Menezes’ men.
With the team struggling at the Copa America in the summer having gone out on penalties against Paraguay in the quarter-finals, pressure was on the team to produce a good display in front of a noisy Craven Cottage.
Both teams were well represented by their fans who turned up with an array of Vuvuzelas and Bongos. Despite the fixture not selling out, it made for a wonderful back-drop making the match a special occasion.
The game started with the same levels of energy which was been seen in the stands with Ghana forcing two early corners. However, it was Brazil who went close first with centre-back Lucio left all alone at the back-post but his shot was well saved by Ghana keeper Kwarasey on the 5th minute.
Brazil were forced into a change on the ten minute mark as Santos player Ganso was taken off with a thigh strain. The midfielder has been widely coveted by a host of European clubs including Arsenal and Chelsea but he had to be replaced by Sporting CP player Elias.
As both teams began to find their feet in the game, it became obvious the contrast in playing styles. Ghana were pressing Brazil well all over the pitch and the likes of Neymar in particular seemed to struggle with the lack of time on the ball.
The game came to life on the 25th minute though when Internacional striker Damiao received a delightful clipped pass from Neymar and he finished over the advancing Kwarasey, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside in what was a marginal decision.
Despite the game being a ‘friendly’, there wasn’t much to suggest the match will be played out in this manner. In quick succession, Ghana’s Derek Boateng and Brazil’s Fernandinho were booked for tough tackles and this seemed to increase the tension on the pitch.
Less than two minutes later, the contest got even tougher for Ghana when Daniel Opare was sent off for two bookable offences. The referee, Mike Dean, believed the Ghana defender trended on Lucio as he cleared the ball and harshly sent him off for an early bath.
Brazil looked to take advantage of the situation and on the 40th minute, they almost did. After spreading it wide, Ronaldinho received the ball just outside the area and he was able to pick out Damiao with a wonderfully flicked pass. He headed back across box to Neymar who saw his header go narrowly wide.
However, you sensed the breakthrough was coming, and just before half-time, it did. Fernandinho was able to collect the ball in space, play through Damiao on the edge of the area and he slotted it past the keeper with a precise finish. It was the striker’s first international goal for the Selecao and a moment Damiao was obviously happy with at half-time.
He told reporters during the break: “There is no way to explain this emotion. Its a dream of every Brazilian player to wear this shirt and score a goal.” The Tottenham target has recently got himself in hot water over Twitter remarks made about the potential move to White Hart Lane, and this goal could fuel the speculation even further.
The second half started out with Brazil dominating and on the 50th minute, they almost doubled their lead. Hulk, who came on at half-time as a replacement for Fernandinho, curled the ball beautifully across the box but Damiao was unable to get the finishing touch and his second goal.
Hulk was looking dangerous and Mensah was struggling to cope with the Porto striker when he almost played in both Marcelo and forced a corner on the 59th minute.
Lucio went close again five minutes later when a oorner found the Inter Milan defender and his shot was deflected up into the air by the keeper Kwarasey. The centre-back followed the deflection up and his header was cleared of the line by Issac Vorsah.
As the second half played out, the match took the form of a training game with both sides trying to dominate midfield and Brazil struggling to break down a resilient Ghana.
The closest Brazil came to adding a second was when Ronaldinho curled his free-kick beautifully towards the top corner but Kwarasey was able to save it onto the post two minutes from time.
Despite the scoreline not suggesting the most exciting of matches, it will be a welcome relief to Mano Menezes to see his team get a win. More questions have been asked though with Ronaldinho and goal-scorer Damiao both impressing so we will have to see whether they can keep their place in the team on the lead-up to Brazil 2014.
