Ten-man Portugal earn point against Croatia
Thursday, March 24, 2011
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Portugal 0-0 Croatia
Croatia were unable to take advantage of Sancidino Silva's 56th-minute dismissal as their opponents held firm for a point.
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Portugal gained a point from their UEFA European Under-17 Championship elite round Group 2 opener against Croatia despite playing much of the second half with ten men.
Sancidino Silva was shown a straight red card 16 minutes after the break in Rotterdam, where both teams struggled to make an impact. The sides return to action on Saturday, when Portugal play Austria and Croatia meet the Netherlands.
After a cagey opening 20 minutes, Croatia began to exert some pressure without ever looking like breaking through the red wall of defenders. It was a similar situation after the break, with Croatia resorting to long-range efforts before and after Silva's 56th-minute dismissal.
