SM
Bayern vs. Augsburg: 18 hrs 44 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
PN
International Friendlies
May 28, 2018 at 7.45pm UK
 
TN

2-2

Silva (22'), Mario (34')
FT(HT: 2-1)
Badri (39'), Ben Youssef (64')

Portugal blow two-goal lead at home to England World Cup opponents Tunisia

:Headline: Result: Portugal blow two-goal lead at home to England World Cup opponents Tunisia: ID:327064: from db_amp
Euro 2016 champions Portugal squander a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with England's opening World Cup opponents Tunisia in Braga.

Portugal have surrendered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at home to Tunisia in their World Cup warm-up friendly in Braga this evening.

The Euro 2016 champions appeared to be cruising to victory when goals from Andre Silva and Joao Mario gave them a 2-0 advantage inside 35 minutes, but Anice Badri halved the deficit before half time to give Tunisia hope.

The African nation - who will open their World Cup campaign against England on June 18 - then levelled things up midway through the second half courtesy of Fakhreddine Ben Youssef's strike, sealing a memorable comeback with exactly three weeks to go until their first match in Russia.

Tunisia threatened to break the deadlock inside the very first minute against a Portugal side missing talisman Cristiano Ronaldo following his Champions League exploits on Saturday night, with Saif-Eddine Khaoui collecting the ball inside the box but firing wide of the target.

Portugal soon recovered from that shaky start, though, and they should have taken the lead after just 10 minutes when Ricardo Quaresma blazed a golden opportunity over the crossbar.

Quaresma went some way to atoning for that miss midway through the first half, though, providing the cross for the opening goal which rumoured Wolverhampton Wanderers target Silva nodded home from close range.

Tunisia did not let their heads drop after that setback, though, and they almost responded immediately when Khaoui again came close, this time flashing an effort inches past the right post from inside the area.

It was Portugal who got the game's second goal with just over 10 minutes remaining of the first half as West Ham United midfielder Mario picked up a loose ball on the edge of the box and fired his finish into the top corner.

Once again Tunisia responded well to the goal, and this time they were able to get their own name on the scoresheet just five minutes later as Badri's effort from the edge of the box beat Anthony Lopes.

Portugal stepped up the tempo in the early stages of the second half as they looked to regain their two-goal advantage, and they were inches away from doing so 10 minutes after the restart when Bernardo Silva's effort at the end of a solo run came back off the post before Mario failed to beat Mouez Hassen from the rebound.

The hosts did have the ball in the back of the net shortly after the hour mark when William Carvalho converted, but his celebrations were cut short by the offside flag.

It proved to be an important decision by the officials as Tunisia were level inside two minutes, with Ben Youssef meeting Ali Maaloul's deep cross and firing it past Lopes into the bottom corner after some poor Portuguese defending.

Not content with just a draw, Tunisia pushed for a winner in the final 25 minutes with Hamdi Nagguez among those to threaten for the visitors.

However, Portugal held off the late pressure to ensure that they at least came away from the match with a draw, although Tunisia will be the happier of the two teams at the end of their first World Cup warm-up match.

Fernando Santos's side will now take on Belgium and Algeria in their final two friendlies before the tournament gets underway, while Tunisia's preparations continue with games against Turkey and Spain.

PORTUGAL (4-3-3): Lopes; Pereira (Cedric 72'), Pepe (Fonte 63'), Dias, Guerreiro (Rui 46'); Mario (Moutinho 80'), William, Adrien Silva (Fernandes 63'); Bernardo (Guedes 72'), Andre Silva, Quaresma

TUNISIA (4-4-2): Hassen; Nagguez, Benalouane, Meriah, Haddadi (Maaloul 46'); Badri (Akaichi 87'), Skhiri, Sassi, Sliti (Srarfi 76'); Khaoui (Ben Youssef 46'), Khalifa (Chalali 67')

amp_article__327064 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2018-06-05 05:43:22:
html db last update - 2018-06-05 05:43:22 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .