OFFICIAL MEDIA GUIDE OF AUSTRALIA AT THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 0

AUSTRALIA – BRAZIL FOOTBALL CONNECTIONS
National teams
The next match played against Brazil by any Australian national team will mark the 50 th meeting between the two
countries. Since first playing against each other at the FIFA Under-16 World Cup in 1987, Australia has confronted
Brazil at men’s senior, under-20 and under-16/17, women’s senior and under-19/20, Futsal and Paralympic levels.
Australia’s highest-profile victory against the Brazil senior team was a 1-0 win in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
third-place playoff, while two 0-6 drubbings for the Socceroos at the hands of Brazil (1997 Confederations Cup final,
2013 international friendly) were noteworthy for the opposite reason.
Other memorable Australia-Brazil clashes include:
• a scoreless draw in the group stage of the 1997 Confederations Cup to deny Brazil a new all-time world record 15
international wins in a row;
• a 0-2 defeat for the Socceroos in the 2006 World Cup in Germany;
• a final group round 3-2 win by Australia to secure first place in Group C at the 2003 FIFA Under-20 World Cup,
with Ange Postecoglou coaching the Young Socceroos at the time;
• draw and a loss on penalties by the Joeys against Brazil in the 1999 FIFA Under-17 World Cup final in New Zealand;
• one-goal losses by Australia in all confrontations for the senior women’s side against Brazil at the Olympic Games
(2000 and 2004) and World Cup (2011).
Brazilian players in Australia
Star players in the NSW state league in the early 1970s included Brazilian imports Hilton Silva, Agenor Muniz and Luis
De Melo. All three played a role in Hakoah-Sydney City’s Championship success in the first National Soccer League
(NSL) season 1977. Over the remainder of the NSL years only a handful of Brazilians played in the league, including
Nelio Borges (Sydney City, Sydney Croatia and Canterbury Marrickville), Ayrton Andrioli (West Adelaide), Alex
Moreira (Carlton, Northern Spirit, Adelaide City and Newcastle United), Edgar Aldrighi (Perth Glory) and Fernando
Rech (Brisbane Strikers and Parramatta Power). In total, 15 Brazilian players competed in the NSL from 1977 to 2004.
It has been a different story in the A-League however, with almost 40 Brazilians playing a part in the national
competition in its first nine years. In terms of most appearances, the most prominent Brazilians in the A-League have
been Cassio (Adelaide, 124 A-League appearances), Daniel Cortes (Wellington Phoenix, 106), Henrique (Brisbane
Roar, 96) Reinaldo (Brisbane Roar, 92), and Fred (Melbourne Victory, Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Heart 61).
The highest-profile guest appearance from Brazil in the A-League was Romario (Adelaide United 2006/07 season), a
World Cup winner and former FIFA World Player of the Year.
Santos tours 1972–1973
Brazilian club side Santos made two visits to Australia in the early 1970s, playing an Australian XI in 1972 in Sydney
(2-2), and the Victorian state side in Melbourne in early 1973 (Santos won 2-0). On both tours Santos was led by Pele,
regarded by many as the world’s greatest player ever.
FIFA Club World Cup
Australian Champions of 1999, South Melbourne, travelled to Rio De Janeiro in 2000 to take part in the first FIFA Club
World Cup. Coached by Ange Postecoglou, Souths put in a respectable performance, albeit without a win against
Vasco Gama (Brazil), Nexaca (Mexico) or Manchester United (England).
PREVIOUS VISITS TO BRAZIL BY AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL TEAMS
National team Date Tour information Australia’s result
Men’s senior team September 2013 Friendly L 0-6 v Brazil
Women’s senior team April 1995 Havelange Tournament W 7-0 v Argentina
W 6-0 v Paulo Vista
L 0-3 v Brazil
W 3-2 v Brazil
Beach Football May 2005 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup L 1-5 v France
L 1-3 v Argentina
Paralympic Nov 2007 CPISRA World Championships W 4-0 v South Africa
L 0-3 v England/Wales
L 0-5 v Brazil
W 8-1 v Japan
L 1-2 v United States
W 5-0 v Canada
OFFICIAL MEDIA GUIDE OF AUSTRALIA AT THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 110