Brazil ran out easy 2-0 winners in an entertaining friendly against Saudi Arabia as Neymar and Gabriel Jesus catch the eye in Riyadh.
2018 Friendlies
0-2
Match Events
20' CHANCE! Neymar's shot wide out
Neymar goes close! The Brazil forward showcases wonderful skill as he weaves through a sea of green shirts and towards the edge of the box, where he then fires a low shot just inches wide of the far post.
23' OFFSIDE! Jesus' goal disallowed
24: Jesus has the ball in the back of the net, but it won't count! It's a huge let off for Saudi Arabia, who don't clear their lines and allow Augusto to flick a pass into the path of Jesus. The striker then easily beats Al Owais, but the linesman's flag is raised as soon as he starts to celebrate.
26' What a save! Jesus' header denied
What a save by Al Owais! Jesus sprints down the left wing and takes on Al Bishi, who clips the Brazilian from behind and concedes a free-kick in a dangerous position. Neymar's cross is a great one and picks out Augusto, who sends a glancing header towards the top left-hand corner of the net but is brilliantly denied by Al Owais.
43' GOAL! Saudi Arabia 0-1 Brazil (Jesus)
GOAL! Jesus makes it 1-0 to Brazil! It's taken them 43 minutes but the Selecao have finally managed to take the lead. Unsurprisingly, it's Neymar who sends a lovely pass through to Jesus, who then beats Al Owais with a deft dink from close range.
84: Almost a chance for Richarlison! The Everton forwards showcases great speed as he sprints towards the edge of the penalty area, but Al Owais beats him to the ball and is just about able to blast it away at the vital moment.
85: RED CARD! Mohammed Al Owais sent off
With five minutes left to go, Saudi Arabia are down to 10 men. The referee goes to VAR to have a look at that clearance from Al Owais, who used his arm to dispossess Richarlison while standing just outside of the box. It leaves him with no choice but to give him his marching orders.
96: GOAL! Saudi Arabia 0-2 Brazil (Sandro)
GOAL! Sandro makes it 2-0 to Brazil! Neymar, with one of the final kicks of the game, curls a lovely corner into the heart of the penalty area, where Sandro rises high and easily nods the ball into the back of the net.
Match reports:
Neymar and Gabriel Jesus caught the eye as Brazil claimed a 2-0 friendly win over 10-man Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on Friday.
Jesus, who endured a difficult World Cup, was making his first post-Russia 2018 appearance and he looked particularly sharp as he opened the scoring, before Alex Sandro rounded things off in stoppage time.
An entertaining first half, which was full of flamboyancy from both teams, culminated in Neymar setting the Manchester City star up for his 11th senior international goal in the 43rd minute.
The hosts failed to build on first-half promise after the break and Brazil were completely dominant, eventually adding to the score with an Alex Sandro header after goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais' red card for handling outside the area.
It did not take Brazil long to establish control and they crafted several half chances, before Al Owais made a fine acrobatic save to palm Jesus' headed flick-on over in the 26th minute.
But Al Owais was beaten on the stroke of half-time when Jesus raced onto Neymar's throughball and found the net.
Lucas Moura – introduced at half-time for his first Brazil appearance since June 2016 – should have swiftly made it 2-0, but he shot straight at Al Owais after an incisive pass from Neymar, who hit the post from 25 yards in the 55th minute.
Al Owais' fine performance was ruined five minutes from time when he was dismissed following a VAR review for handling Richarlison's shot outside the area following a weak back pass, and Alex Sandro rounded the win off by heading in Neymar's corner for his first Selecao goal in the 96th minute.
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Line-ups
Saudi Arabia XI: Salman Al Faraj, Hussain Al Mogahwi, Yasir Al Shahrani, Omar Hawsawi, Hattan Babhir, Salem Al Dawsari, Abdullah Otayf, Mohammed Al Owais, Mohammed Al Burayk, Abdulaziz Al-Bishi, Ali Albulayhi
Subs: Hussein Abdul Ghani, Mustafa Malaika, Yehya Al Shehri, Mohammed Al-Fatil, Saeed Al Muwallad, Mohammed Kanoo, Hassan Al-Habib, Abdullah Alkhaibari, Mohammed Al Yami, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Haroune Camara
Brazil XI: Renato Augusto, A.Sandro, Philippe Coutinho, Casemiro, Neymar, Pablo, Marquinhos, Fred, Ederson Moraes, Fabinho, Gabriel Jesus
Subs: João Miranda, Filipe Luis, Danilo, Alisson, Roberto Firmino, Lucas, Arthur, Malcom, Walace, Richarlison, Eder Militão, Phelipe