Australia v Brazil: men’s international football friendly – live

Updates from the first of two games in QueenslandKick-off time in Townsville is 8pm AESTAny thoughts? Get in touch with an emailSocceroos head coach Tony Popovic continues to show he is prepared to make big selection calls with captain Maty Ryan axed from the squad for these two friendlies against Brazil.“We know what Maty Ryan is to Australian football,” Popovic said. “A player that has a distinguished career – continues to have one – over 100 caps. But we’d like to have a look at another keeper.”A legacy of more World Cup titles than any other nation demands respect, as does the aura of a shirt worn by the likes of Pelé, Socrates, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Neymar. Vinícius, Raphinha, Marquinhos et al are global superstars, and the cultural cachet of joga bonito still permeates. So too are the good vibes, good people and goodwill that accompany them; a Brazilian supporter with a prop World Cup trophy in hand was among those navigating the connection to Townsville from Brisbane airport on Thursday morning. These fixtures, followed by a game against India on 3 October, are going to prove lucrative for the South Americans too. They’ll even be taking the field in Queensland as the official “home” side.Which brings us to football. And to start, if Brazil are after a genuine Australian football experience they will get one at Lang Park in Brisbane next Tuesday, when they play on a surface only four days after the Dolphins v Roosters preliminary final. But coming off another World Cup failure, Brazil have also landed at an inflection point. Or perhaps more accurately, the latest inflection point, as the nation conducts a new round of soul-searching over an increasingly diminishing place among football’s elite. Continue reading...