Brazil-Portugal Preview

In its rout of North Korea, Portugal played the type of game Brazil made famous. The Selecao, though, have shown they have grit underneath their beauty.

The two teams meet Friday in Durban to decide the winner of Group G.

Brazil has already clinched a spot in the round of 16 by virtue of its two victories and needs only a draw to win the group.

More pragmatic and physical than past Brazilian teams, the Selecao powered their way to a 3-1 victory over Ivory Coast on Sunday as Luis Fabiano scored two goals, including one he admitted using both his arm and his hand on two separate touches.

"It's true, the ball really touched my hand and then my shoulder," he said of his second goal. "But it was involuntary. It was one of the greatest goals I've scored in my career."

Elano added the other goal for Brazil. While there are only flashes now of "jogo bonito" for the Selecao, there is no denying the results for coach Dunga's team. He took pride in how Brazil responded to the physical play of Ivory Coast, feeling the match will pay dividends down the road in pursuit of a sixth World Cup title.

"The players have passed a tough test," Dunga said. "They showed a lot of maturity because they got hit from the beginning to the end and never hit back."

That last point came into issue following the ejection of midfielder Kaka on two late yellow cards, the second coming on a very questionable booking by referee Stephane Lannoy. Nilmar likely will take Kaka's spot in the starting lineup for this match, though Dunga can opt for Julio Baptista to fill the midfield void.

It is also likely Dunga may make further changes to rest some of his starters ahead of the second round.

Portugal can win Group G with a victory and clinch advancement with a draw. The Seleccao das Quinas also put themselves in good position to advance even with a loss after dismantling North Korea 7-0 on Sunday.

Six players scored, including Cristiano Ronaldo, as coach Carlos Queiroz made four changes to his starting lineup from a scoreless draw against Ivory Coast.

"It was a great day for Portugal and Portuguese football," Queiroz said. "The players are really happy with the way they played, the attitude for the game, the beautiful football, the beautiful goals."

Getting Ronaldo on track may be key for Portugal making a second consecutive deep World Cup run after reaching the semifinals and finishing fourth in 2006. It was the Real Madrid star's first goal in a non-friendly since the 2008 European Championship, though he did miss some time in World Cup qualifying due to injury.

It is unknown if Queiroz will have Deco back for this match after the midfielder missed Sunday's rout with an injured right hip.