High five for Scolari's men

Portugal 5-3 Albania

Portugal's preparations for UEFA EURO 2004™ continued apace as Luiz Felipe Scolari's side beat Albania 5-3 in their latest international friendly in Lisbon.

Figo opens account
Luis Figo struck first in a high-scoring affair at CF Os Belenenses' Restelo stadium, breaking into the penalty area and firing past visiting keeper Fotaq Strakosha after only seven minutes. However, the Portuguese ascendancy was short-lived. Igli Tare provided the assist for Albania's equaliser on 13 minutes, allowing Ardian Aliaj to pick his spot and beat Ricardo at his far post.

Tare on target
After Cristiano Ronaldo had wasted a couple of openings, the visitors then went into a shock half-time lead. Ervin Skela ran down the right wing and crossed to the far post where Tare was on hand to score.

Goalkeeping error
Stung by Scolari's team talk, Portugal were level within five minutes of the restart. Simão Sabrosa hit a first-time effort from Paulo Ferreira's pass which goalkeeper Strakosha was unable to keep out. Strakosha was then at fault for Portugal's third goal on 55 minutes as he let Rui Costa's shot slip through his hands.

Reduced deficit
Two minutes later it was 4-2 as the Albanian defence struggled to clear a Rui Jorge free-kick. Simão Sabrosa picked up the loose ball and crossed for Pauleta to finish from close range. However, when Ricardo could not hold on to a shot from Albert Duro soon after, Aliaj stepped up to sweep in his second and Albania's third goal.

Advantage Portugal
Portugal's two-goal advantage was restored on 64 minutes though. Miguel let fly an unstoppable shot from the edge of the area after Figo had failed to connect with Nuno Valente's left-wing cross.