Iceland to take on Brazil
Friday, February 22, 2002
Article summary
Iceland will have a chance to humble four-time world champions Brazil when they meet on 7 March.
Article body
Iceland will have a chance to humble one of the main contenders for the 2002 FIFA World Cup when they play Brazil in Cuiaba on 7 March.
Four-time world champions
Atli Edvaldsson's team face a tough EURO 2004™ group involving Germany, Scotland, Lithuania and Faroe Islands, and the match with the four-time world champions - only their second meeting - will be a challenging start to their preparations.
Learning experience
Iceland will rely on part-time players for the match, coach Atli Edvaldsson said. "This is a great opportunity and the match will be extremely educational for our boys, allowing them to learn from the best in the game."
Carnival celebrations
Brazil chose Iceland for the match after plans to play Chile and Colombia fell through due to the match date being outside FIFA's approved schedule for internationals. Coach Felipe Scolari refused to play a match on 13 February due to carnival celebrations.
Previous meeting
Their previous meeting, in May 1994, ended in a creditable 3-0 defeat for Iceland in Florianopolis - two months before Brazil lifted their fourth World Cup.
