Key events
25 min Estevao gives a little warning as he powers off the right side and takes a speculative shot from long range. Beach barely moves as the striker slices his shot and ball sails high and wide.
23 min The Socceroos drive forward again and Irankunda collects on the left side of the attack. He searches for his right boot but can’t get a shot away and settles for a corner.
22 min Beach is back under pressure with Brazil attacking into the penalty area and a small collision again causes the keeper to drop the ball. The Socceroos keeper stays on his line for the third attempt in as many minutes to collect Raphinha’s header.
21 min Brazil send the free kick into the penalty area and Beach comes off his line to collect. The Socceroos keeper fumbles and forces his defence to clear the line.
19 min Souttar and Endrick are locked up in a tussle and the Socceroos defender lands on top of his opponent. Brazil look to take a quick free kick but Jackson intervenes and earns an early yellow card.
18 min The Socceroos have all the momentum though Brazil are comfortable covering the last line as the game is being played in the hosts’ half.
16 min Okon-Engstler streams forward as the Brazil defence let him travel to the edge of the area. The wing-back runs out of ideas before passing on the responsibility for trying to create at least a half chance. Irankunda takes over and sprints to the left corner flag and cuts back a cross for Yengi but there are too many Brazil shirts in the way.
14 min Lucas Herrington shows just why his career is on a rapid ascent as he is locked into the back left corner but is able to play out of the danger.
13 min The Socceroos are spending plenty of time in their attacking half without creating anything of note. Young Brazil centre-back Vitor Reis comes off his line and cuts off a pass meant to find Tete Yengi’s feet.
12 min Harry Souttar immediately gives the ball away with a sloppy pass after the restart. The Socceroos are banked up in defence and able to shut down the Brazil attack.
11 min Italiano is up and running with a thick black bandage around his head. We are told he has passed the first concussion test.
8 min It has been a scintillating opening from both sides but especially the Socceroos. There is finally a break in play as Socceroos wing-back Jacob Italiano and Brazil defender Douglas Santos clash heads. Italiano has blood coming from his forehead and seems unlikely to continue.
6 min Beach releases quickly as the Socceroos find Nestory Irankunda with room to go to work down the left. The young attacker swings on to his right boot and only has one thing in mind as he sends a rocket toward the Brazil goal. The powerful shot is on target but Hugo Souza has it covered.
5 min Vinicius Junior carries the ball down the left and into the penalty area but Estevao can’t make the most of the cut back to the top of the box as the scuffed shot is collected by Patrick Beach.
4 min Metcalfe drops a corner into a dangerous and forces the Brazil defence to clear. The Socceroos attacker hits much the same area with the second corner but this time Marquinhos gets a header behind it.
3 min Circati passes a long ball down the right flank to unleash Tete Yengi. The Socceroos striker battles against Marquinhos to keep the ball in the attacking third but out for a throw.
2 min The Socceroos are off to a bright start as the ball is lobbed from the left side back into the penalty area. The Brazilian defence nod back to the keeper to ease the pressure.
1 min The Socceroos are straight on the front foot and Italiano wins the ball in a dangerous area and passes to Metcalfe. The World Cup goalscorer gets a shot away but his left boot slices it wide of Hugo Souza in goal.
Kick-off
Peeeeeep! Brazil get us under way against Australia in the men’s international friendly at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville.
Hino Nacional Brasileiro – or the national anthem of Brazil – rings out first at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville before Advance Australia Fair follows. We’re just a few minutes away from kick-off …
The Socceroos and Brazil are in their kit and ready to walk on to the turf in Townsville. Here is a reminder of the starting XIs for each side.
Australia XI: Patrick Beach (gk); Jacob Italiano, Alessandro Circati, Harry Souttar (capt), Lucas Herrington, Aziz Behich; Jackson Irvine, Paul Okon-Engstler, Connor Metcalfe; Nestory Irankunda, Tete Yengi.
Brazil XI: Hugo Souza (gk); Douglas Santos, Vitor Reis, Marquinhos, Matheuzinho; Bruno Guimaraes, Danilo Santos; Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Estevao, Endrick.
Brazil might be looking to refresh their squad after their World Cup disappointment but there is still more than enough star power to light up any stage. Barcelona and Brazil forward Raphinha is one of the biggest stars of the lot, and will help lead the line against the Socceroos in Townsville. The No 9 spoke to Sid Lowe about embracing his new role as a leader of the team and the focal point of the attack.
What kind of leader [I am] depends on the moment. If I have to be slightly tougher, I can. But I prefer nicer moments, jokes. The last two years have been spectacular so I haven’t had to be the pesado [pain in the arse] often. I know that annoys people but someone has to do it sometimes.
Tony Popovic tends to play his cards much closer to his chest. But the Socceroos head coach gives a little insight into his selections while speaking with Paramount+.
Very honoured and proud to be in this position [playing Brazil]. I enjoyed it as a player thoroughly, enjoying it as a coach, and as I did at the World Cup and tonight, we have a huge challenge against one the world’s best.
We [Carlo Ancelotti] have caught up a few days ago in Brisbane. He’s just a fantastic man and obviously one of the world’s greatest managers. He’s done so much in his career and won so many titles I’m sure he doesn’t have enough room at home with all the trophies he’s won. So it’ll an honour and a pleasure to share the pitch with him.
We’ve got some youngsters in the front third that have done well with their clubs or moved to clubs overseas. So we feel there’s a good opportunity to a look at their growth and development. And it doesn’t any better than experimenting with the players against Brazil.
[Mo Touré’s injury] just gives someone else an opportunity. I think we’ve dealt with this since I’ve been at this job. We’ve got Jordy Bos out as well. We’ve got Cam Burgess out. We’ve got Christian Volpato out. It’s something we’ve dealt with before. But it’s an opportunity for someone else to take the opportunity and become successful.
Brazil XI
Seleção: Hugo Souza (gk); Douglas Santos, Vitor Reis, Marquinhos, Matheuzinho; Bruno Guimaraes, Danilo Santos; Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Estevao, Endrick.
Carlo Ancelotti sticks with the starting XI as promised in his press conference yesterday. No need to hold the cards close to your chest when you have these attacking weapons to put on show. There are two debutants in Corinthians full-back Matheuzinho and Manchester City defender Vitor Reis. Only four players remain from the Brazil side that lost to Norway in the round of 16 at the World Cup.
Australia XI
Socceroos: Patrick Beach (gk), Jacob Italiano, Alessandro Circati, Harry Souttar (capt), Lucas Herrington, Aziz Behich, Jackson Irvine, Paul Okon-Engstler, Connor Metcalfe, Nestory Irankunda, Tete Yengi.
Harry Souttar takes the captain’s armband with Maty Ryan left out of the squad and will start with young centre-backs Alessandro Circati and Lucas Herrington alongside him in the defence. Tete Yengi earns his second Socceroos start as Tony Popovic names a strong starting XI.
Socceroos 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.”
Joey Lynch is in Townsville tonight to report on the game and has already taken in Brazil’s unlikely visit to the north Queensland town with a population of just over 200,000 as the place to begin their regeneration after another World Cup failure.
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.
Australia can turn to their own star power for the first men’s A international to be played in Townsville.
The Brazilians have arrived at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville.
Wondering how Lucas Herrington is progressing with Hull City? Want to know who wins the battle between Nestory Irankunda and Alessandro Circati when Sporting CP and Benfica clash in Portugal?
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Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the international football friendly between Australia and Brazil at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville.
The Socceroos and Seleção both return to action for the first time since the 2026 World Cup with this the first of two international friendlies between the teams to be played in Queensland over the next few days. This is also the first men’s A international to be held in Townsville while the second game in the series will be played on Tuesday at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
Australia will use the friendlies to begin their preparations for the 2027 Asian Cup while the five-time world champions take their first steps to regenerate the squad after failing to meet expectations at the global showpiece a few months ago. The Socceroos were, in case I need to remind you, knocked out on penalties by Egypt in the round of 32. Brazil went one step further when they beat Japan 2-1 in the new knockout phase before losing by the same score to Norway in the round of 16.
Socceroos head coach Tony Popovic has called up a 25-player squad for the two-match series though striker Mohamed Toure has been forced out by injury along with Alex Robertson. On a more positive note, Riley McGree and Patrick Yazbek return after their untimely stint on the sidelines. Five players have been called up for the first time – goalkeeper Jacob Chapman, Kealey Adamson, Eli Adams, Yaya Dukuly and Marcus Younis. Kasey Bos – the younger brother of Jordy – and teenage defender Dylan Leonard are also in line for a debut.
Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has turned to youth for the first international window since the World Cup, though Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior, Barcelona’s Raphinha, Paris Saint-Germain’s Marquinhos and Arsenal duo Gabriel and Bruno Guimaraes are among the headline names to make the trip. Defenders Artur Dias (Athletico Paranaense) and Maurio Júnior (PSV Eindhoven) are among the new faces to look out for, along with Chelsea’s young attacker Estêvão.
Kick off in Townsville is 8pm AEST / 7am BRT / 11am BST. I’ll be back shortly with the starting line-ups and team news. But now is the time to hit me up with thoughts and predictions – shoot me an email, or find me on Bluesky @martinpegan.bsky.social. Let’s get into it!
