IT'S ALL OVER! A HISTORIC VICTORY FOR CAPE VERDE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED!
90' +2
Tremendous tackle! Pizzi, who to his credit has been a sparkplug since coming on, makes another good run on the left. He beats a defender to get into the penalty area, but Calu rushes across to intervene, actually playing the ball off the attacker and behind for a corner.
90'
There will be four minutes of stoppage time to be added on... Can Portugal salvage anything from this match?
88'
THAT HAD TO BE IT! Relentless pressure on the Cape Verde goal causes a bit of panic in the penalty area for the first time tonight. The ball isn't cleared following a Pizzi corner and it rolls straight to an unsuspecting Eder who slips, failing to get a touch on it with the net gaping in front of him!
86'
STAT ATTACK: Portugal have lost just one match against African opposition in their history, a 3-1 defeat against Morocco in the 1986 FIFA World Cup (W10, D4).
84'
THAT WAS A CHANCE! Lovely stuff from Ukra on the left, as he skips past Jeffrey Fortes before picking out Andre Andre with a cross. The substitute puts his head to the ball, sending his effort back across goal, but wide of the post.
82'
The result appears all but official here. Cape Verde are doing a good job to move the ball up the pitch when they win it back. They aren't exactly posing a threat to score a third, but it's a welcome break for their defenders, while it also takes valuable time off the clock.
81'
Ricardo Gomes enters the game and replaces Júlio Tavares.
Ryan Mendes enters the game and replaces Héldon.
80'
Garry Rodrigues enters the game and replaces Odaïr Fortes.
Winning the free kick will be Andre Gomes' last contribution as Andre Almeida comes on in his place, while a loud ovation greets Odiar Fortes and Heldon, both of whom are withdrawn. Garry Rodrigues and Ryan Mendes will come on in their place.
79'
André Almeida enters the game and replaces André Gomes.
Minute
Description
78'
Harmless possession from Portugal elicits a groan from the fans, before Andre Gomes wins a free kick in midfield - but before it's taken, a plethora of substitutions will be made here.
76'
There is no substance from Portugal as they look to get forward. They are passing is about with no real idea or direction in mind, and as a result, they aren't troubling this Cape Verde defence. Credit has to be given to the visitors as well, however, as they have done an exquisite job at the back throughout.
74'
Cape Verde are the ones with the lead, yet they're showing no signs of sitting back in defence. They sense an opportunity to get forward and add to their lead, with Portugal down to 10-men, and they aren't holding back! The hosts have to figure something out, because they have been dreadful for the last 20 minutes or so.
72'
STAT ATTACK: Cape Verde have lost just two of their last 17 friendly matches (W8, D7). Four of those matches came against European opposition – draws against Luxembourg (twice) and Portugal, while defeating Malta.
71'
Calú enters the game and replaces Toni Varela.
70'
A free kick down the left, won by Pizzi, presents a good chance for Portugal to pull a goal back, but the winger's delivery is cleared by the first defender. The crowd is growing restless and frustration is beginning to set in amongst these Portuguese players.
68'
Samedo picks up the first yellow card of the night for Cape Verde. The pace has really fizzled out now with the changes and more substitutions appear imminent. You could almost here a pin drop inside the stadium.
67'
Sérgio Semedo gets yellow.
66'
Portugal make a double substitution here. It's become far too stale from them and they are in serious jeopardy of losing their first game of 2015. Eder is on to replace Hugo Almeida, while Pizzi comes on for Adrien Silva.
65'
Pizzi enters the game and replaces Adrien Silva.
André André enters the game and replaces Cédric Soares.
64'
Éder enters the game and replaces Hugo Almeida.
It's looking more and more like a fairytale night for Cape Verde. Their two-goal lead is looking safe as ever with Portugal struggling to find much of anything in attack, and now with the sending off, it becomes that much more difficult for them!
62'
Babanco enters the game and replaces Platini.
Changes for both teams here as defender Danilo Pereira comes on for winger Bernardo Silva, to fill the void at the back, while Platini is replaced for Cape Verde by Babanco.
61'
Danilo Pereira enters the game and replaces Bernardo Silva.
60'
André Pinto goes off after a red card!
HOSTS DOWN TO 10-MEN! It's a defensive catastrophe from Portugal! A terrible back-pass sends Heldon through on goal and in a desperate attempt to stop the breakaway, Andre Pinto rushes across and makes a rash challenge to deny a clear goalscoring opportunity. No doubt about that one!
58'
Portugal are beginning to commit men forward, but Cape Verde are standing firm. Inspired by this two goal lead, the visitors are running tirelessly to win every loose ball and their work ethic is unmatched currently by that of their opponents. It's all a bit flat from Portugal at the moment.
56'
STAT ATTACK: Portugal have lost just one of their last six friendly matches, against France last October (W4, D1). They defeated Cameroon, Mexico, Ireland and France over that span.
54'
Cape Verde have weathered the storm and are now enjoy their own spell in possession. The ball is being contained largely in midfield, though they are doing a good job of playing keep-away from their opponents.
52'
The hosts are looking much better since the break, though they still cannot find a way through on goal. They have tested the keeper with some long-range strikes and crosses from the flanks, but have to start trying to breakdown this defence and pass their way through.
50'
WASTEFUL! Vierinha has moved to the right since the arrival of Ukra and he's enjoyed a much better time out on that flank. He beats Nivaldo and sends a teasing cross to the back post, where Hugo Almeida has a wide open net, but sends his header shockingly wide! There's no excuse for missing that.
48'
ANOTHER FINE SAVE! Vozinha refuses to be beaten tonight, continuing to make a strong case for a clean sheet. Vierinha picks up the ball in midfield and skips forward before testing his luck from 30 yards out. He gets good power behind his shot but the keeper dives to his left to knock it behind.
46'
Ukra enters the game and replaces João Mário.
Steven Fortès enters the game and replaces Gêgê.
The second half is underway! A couple of substitutions at the break as Portugal bring Ukra on for Joao Mario, while goalscorer Gege is off for Cape Verde with Steven Fortes on in his place.
45' +1
The first half comes to an end and this stadium is in shock!
45'
There will be just one minute of stoppage time at the end of this first half.
43'
Gêgê has scored a goal for Cabo Verde! Assist by Odaïr Fortes.
IT'S TURNED IN! GEGE DOUBLES CAPE VERDE'S LEAD! Heldon's delivery is flicked on at the near post, and with no one at the far post to cover, Gege manages to beat Andre Pinto to the ball far too easily and turn it past a helpless Anthony Lopes!
41'
The birthday boy is at it again! He makes a lovely run down the right flank and skips past Antunes before winning a free kick on the edge of the area. This is a real chance for the visitors to double their lead.
39'
The Cape Verde fans can be heard proudly cheering on their team now, drowning out the home support - and they have every right to be encouraged! It's been a wonderful first half from them and there's no denying that they deserved that goal.
38'
Odaïr Fortes has scored a goal for Cabo Verde! Assist by Nuno Rocha.
DISASTER FOR LOPES! CAPE VERDE TAKE THE LEAD! The birthday boy has his goal, but it's hardly how he would have envisioned it! Odiar Fortes makes a good run on the right and delivers a cross in from close to the byline. He hardly looked to be going for goal, but Anthony Lopes misjudges it horribly and it sails over his head and in at the far post! What a nightmare for the keeper on his first senior cap!
35'
That's very poor! Vitorino Antunes is the one to deliver the cross into the area, but as has been the case for much of this first half, the delivery is poor and it runs safely behind for a goal kick.
34'
Portugal are constantly looking to attack down the right flank. Andre Gomes and Bernardo Silva have linked up nicely, while Cedric certainly doesn't need to be asked to get forward. The midfielder wins a free kick from 35 yards out and this could be a real chance for the hosts to break the deadlock.
32'
Bernardo Silva has been a real bright spot for the hosts in attack. The youngster is looking increasingly dangerous with each passing minute. Hugo Almeida has provided a good option in the centre, but some desperate last-ditch defending from the visitors has kept this match scoreless for the time being.
30'
STAT ATTACK: These teams have met twice in their history, both friendlies. The most recent produced a scoreless draw in Covilha in 2010, though Portugal registered an emphatic 4-1 victory in the first meeting in 2006, thanks to a hat-trick from Pauleta.
28'
Portugal are beginning to settle down and limit the openings at the back. They have afforded far too much space for Cape Verde to exploit on the counter, and seeing the threat they pose with their pace, the hosts are doing their best to tighten things up at the back.
26'
The corner is finally taken and Cape Verde deal with it accordingly. More good news for them as Varela looks alright to continue and should be back on shortly.
24'
Cape Verde have a problem here as Fernando Varela is forced to go off with an injury. The defender has come out worse for wear following a collision inside the area and his side are now down a key man as they try and defend the upcoming corner.
22'
It's been a wonderfully entertaining contest through 20 plus minutes. The pace has been superb and it has allowed both sides to find space in attack to create. Chances have been coming at a rapid rate, but we've just been lacking that final touch, hence the reason it remains scoreless.
20'
TREMENDOUS BUILD-UP PLAY! The African side string a plethora of passes together in what turns out to be a scintillating counter attack! Heldon picks out Platini, who then finds Odiar Fortes on the right. The winger sends a pass back into the centre, but Nuno Rocha just fails to get the vital touch to turn it in!
18'
BERNARDO DENIED! It's the second crucial save Vozinha's had to make and this one is even better than the last! The Monaco attacker drifts to the right flank on this occasion, taking a pass and cutting onto his right for a shot, but the keeper is able to dive across and get a hand to it.
16'
OFF THE LINE! Spectacular save from Vozinha, as he keeps out Vierinha's header following the corner! It was a simple flick on from the Wolfsburg midfielder, but forced a fine reactionary stop from the keeper.
15'
End to end action! Gege makes a vital defensive tackle to slide in just ahead of Hugo Almeida and turn Vierinha's cross behind for a corner. Portugal looked very threatening on that attack.
13'
STAT ATTACK: Portugal have never lost a friendly match against African opposition, in 11 tries (W8, D3).
11'
INCHES WIDE! It's spectacular from the birthday boy! He shows excellent technique to beat Vitorino Antunes on the flank before sending a superb low cross into the centre. Julio Tavares runs to meet it, but his effort takes a deflection and rolls just wide of the post!
9'
The visitors are looking quite lively in possession and have managed to cause one or two problems for the Portuguest defence. Heldon looks sharp in possession and his pace is proving difficult to contain on the flanks.
7'
Lovely running from Bernardo! The Monaco winger makes a dazzling sprint down the right and skips past two defenders on his way into the area. He chips a clever cross in towards the far post, but it's just fractions too high for Hugo Almeida to head home.
5'
Paulo Oliveira gets yellow.
Paolo Oliveira picks up a yellow card just five minutes into his senior team debut. The defender gets caught a bit high up the pitch and is forced to tug back on the shirt of Heldon to prevent the winger from getting in behind and posing a threat on the counter.
3'
Capre Verde have enjoyed the more positive start to the match, passing the ball around well and working it nicely along the left flank. Odiar Fortes appears to be full of running, and you can bet he would like to get a goal tonight to celebrate his birthday.
1'
We are underway in the Portuguese senior team's first ever match in Estoril! Cape Verde in white and blue, moving right to left, with Portugal sporting all black.
Good evening footy fans around the world! The international break comes to an end this evening with some friendly action, straight from the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota in Estoril. Portugal got an important three points on Sunday to boost their qualification hopes for the 2016 European Championship, and they will look to keep that momentum going against a Cape Verde team playing their first match since the Africa Cup of Nations. I am Alex Moretto and I will be your in-game host, guiding you through the match LIVE as it happens!
There may be 31 spots separating these two nations in the FIFA rankings, but from a political and geographical standpoint, the difference is slim. Once a Portuguese colony, Cape Verde gained their independence in 1975, but their ties to the European nation hold firm. The series of Islands which make up the country are located off the coast of Senegal, just a boat ride – albeit a long one – southwest of Portugal. The official language is Portuguese and their President is a proud graduate of the University of Lisbon.
Halfway through the qualifying phase for the 2016 European Championships, Portugal find themselves atop their group thanks to a victory over Serbia on Sunday. This evening's friendly presents an ideal opportunity for Seleccao coach Fernando Santos to take a closer look at some of his fringe players, so we should see plenty of new faces in his starting lineup. For Cape Verde, this is their first match since an early exit from this winter’s Africa Cup of Nations. There should be motivation aplenty for this once Portuguese colony, with coach Rui Aguas earning 31 international caps for the Seleccao during his career, while many members of his squad currently play or have played their domestic football in the westernmost country in mainland Europe.
CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS:
PORTUGAL (4-3-3): Lopes; Cedric, Paulo Oliveira, Andre Pinto, Antunes; Joao Mario, Andre Gomes, Adrien; Vieirinha, Bernardo Silva, Almeida.
It is an extremely inexperienced and experimental squad put out by Fernando Santos. There is plenty of competition for spots ahead of next summer's European Championships and this is as good an opportunity as any for these players to stake their claim. Four members of the starting XI are earning their first senior cap - Anthony Lopes, Andre Pinto, Paolo Oliveira and Bernardo Silva - while the midfield trio of Adrien Silva, Andre Gomes and Joao Mario have combined to make six senior appearances.
Striker Hugo Almeida is by far the most experienced member of the squad, making his 57th appearance tonight, while Vieirinha is a distant second with 13 to his name. Wing-backs Cedric (two) and Vitorino Antunes (eight) have combined for 10 appearances, while they are joined by a centre-back duo that are set to make their senior debuts.
HALF TIME: PORTUGAL 0-2 CAPE VERDE. Fernando Santos' experiment has gone horrible wrong in the first half, as his inexperienced squad find themselves two goals down. It's a shocking scoreline, but one fully deserved by the African side who just won't back down!
FULL TIME: PORTUGAL 0-2 CAPE VERDE. Fernando Santos' experiment fails miserably as goals from Odiar Fortes and Gege earn the Blue Sharks a historic victory over an inexperienced Seleccao squad. Cape Verde are fully deserving of this result, just their second ever victory against European opposition, the first coming against Malta. It's a night for this one Portuguese colony to remember forever!
I am Alex Moretto and I would like to thank you all for joining me here today. Good bye!
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