Figo makes the difference
Wednesday, April 2, 2003
Article summary
Portugal 1-0 F.Y.R Macedonia Luis Figo gave UEFA EURO 2004™ hosts Portugal another victory.
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Portugal 1-0 F.Y.R. Macedonia
Real Madrid CF playmaker Luis Figo ensured UEFA EURO 2004™ hosts Portugal secured a 1-0 victory against F.Y.R Macedonia in a friendly international in Switzerland tonight.
Buoyant mood
Portugal began the game in buoyant mood after their 2-1 home defeat of FIFA World Cup 2002 winners Brazil on Saturday and although Macedonia managed to stay out of trouble for long periods they rarely threatened.
Early dominance
Figo, who missed the win against Brazil through injury, made the early dominance count, breaking the deadlock in the 24th minute after collecting a back-heeled pass into the box from Sergio Conceicão and driving in a low shot from 15 metres.
Pauleta close
Shortly before the break Portugal almost doubled the advantage when Figo, this time the provider, crossed for Pauleta only for the FC Girondins de Bordeaux striker to see his header parried on to the left post by a fine save from goalkeeper Petar Milosevski.
Unleashed shot
The Macedonians' best chance came midway through the second half when striker Artim Sakiri unleashed a fierce shot from the edge of the area which forced an agile response from Boavista FC shot-stopper Ricardo.
Deco again
SL Benfica’s Simão Sabrosa almost increased the lead in the final stages but Milosevski produced another quality stop. Then Deco nearly collected a second for his new national team after scoring at the weekend against Brazil - the country of his birth - with one of his trademark free-kicks in added time.
Flying start
The game was Portugal's third under the guidance of Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who is under contract with the Portuguese Football Federation until after UEFA EURO 2004™. He was naturally delighted with the win but emphasised it was a different experience for his players to Saturday's outing.
Test needed
"You cannot compare this match with the one against Brazil," he said. "We played a very defensive team this time and they were very good at blocking all the way to their goal. They defended very well but we need this kind of test for our team to get used to playing against weaker opposition."
