Austria vs. Brazil: Score, Grades and Reaction from International Friendly

Brazil had to dig deep to record a 2-1 win in Vienna over hosts Austria on Tuesday, scoring the winning goal late in the second half. Austria gave the five-time world champions all they could handle, smothering the Brazilian attack for the majority of the match.    

Despite the Brazilians being the heavy favourites for this friendly, the hosts had no intentions of sitting back and not playing along.

With 10 points out of four Euro 2016 qualifiers, Austria have already proven to be a good team, and they were determined to show the Brazilians just that from the opening whistle.

The Ernst-Happel-Stadion erupted after just five minutes as Rubin Okotie appeared to have the ball in the back of the net, but he was promptly shown the yellow card for a handball. As shared by Futbol Vines, the official made the right decision:

Willian, Neymar and Oscar attempted to take control of the midfield proceedings but came across a staunch Austrian defence, led by Christian Fuchs. Chances were rare, with both teams instead focusing on the ugly battle in the centre of the pitch.

Florian Klein latched on to a loose ball in the 21st minute that seemed destined for goal, but Filipe Luis managed to block his effort in the nick of time. His compatriot David Luiz should have been booked for a rash challenge on Martin Harnik, but the official let it slide.

Atletico Madrid's Miranda then appeared to pull his hamstring and was forced to leave the pitch before the half-hour mark, replaced by Thiago Silva. The Guardian's Fernando Duarte had to make this Austria pun:

Brazil slowly started to take control of the match, and Oscar produced the first real danger with a long-range effort that was saved by Robert Almer. David Luiz nearly opened the score with one of his patented free-kicks, aiming his effort just over the bar.

BrazilStats thinks the duo of Neymar and David Luiz makes Brazil a threat every time they line up to take a free-kick:

"

Nice free kick by David Luiz! With him and Neymar, every free kick could be a real scoring opportunity for Brazil.

— Seleção Brasileira (@BrazilStats) November 18, 2014"

Danilo Luiz wanted a penalty just before half-time after a challenge from Fuchs, but the Brazilian forward went down far too easily and was rightly denied the spot-kick.

Going into half-time, the score was 0-0 and Sky Sports' Paulo Freitas was very impressed with the hosts:

The second half started in similar fashion, with the Brazilian squad failing to find any openings in a well-organised Austrian defence. Substitutions would have to make the difference, disrupting the excellent way the hosts' back four was playing.

Manager Dunga did not look happy when his goalkeeper Diego Alves decided to help out, coming off his line and nearly getting caught by a tackling Marcel Sabitzer.

David Luiz finally broke the deadlock after the first real mistake from the Austrian defence, as the centre-back was left almost unmarked to greet Oscar's perfect corner. 101 Great Goals had the Vine:

Austria's response was immediate, sending bodies forward and pressing the Brazilian back four. Marko Arnautovic cut inside and sent a great ball toward the top corner, but a wicked deflection saw it go out for a corner.

The hosts won a penalty minutes later as Oscar brought down substitute Andreas Weimann inside the box. Aleksandar Dragovic lined up and put it home, leveling things at 1-1.

As shared by Bleacher Report UK, it was the first time Brazil had conceded under new manager Dunga:

Austria were happy with the 1-1 score, but a multitude of substitutions clearly took their toll in the defensive communications. Roberto Firmino gladly took advantage of that, scoring a stunning goal from 25 yards out.

The Vine comes via Bleacher Report UK:

The hosts had little time to come up with an unlikely equaliser, with the official signalling just three minutes of extra time. Austria hadn't lost in their last nine, but against the talented and experienced Brazilians, finding even a single chance proved nearly impossible inside the final 10 minutes.

Instead, Dunga's men held on to the one-goal lead, winning their sixth consecutive friendly since the 2014 World Cup.

Match Grades

Ronald Zak/Associated Press

Neymar: C

The Brazilian superstar has been great for Brazil in 2014 but put in a subpar performance against Austria, looking sluggish and almost disinterested. Credit the Austrian defence for shutting him down from the opening whistle, but more is expected from the Barcelona forward.

David Luiz: B+

Luiz seems to have moved past the 2014 World Cup disappointment, playing another solid match for the national team. Strong at the back, useful in the buildup and always a threat to score, the Paris Saint-Germain defender remains one of the most versatile centre-backs in the world.

Christian Fuchs: B+

How Fuchs' name never shows up in transfer speculation is baffling. The 28-year-old is tough and plays with fantastic energy, and he was the man in charge of shutting down the Brazilian attack from the very start. Fuchs' contributions are seldom pretty but always useful.

Post-Match Reaction

Paulo Freitas wasn't overly impressed with the Brazilian performance, but the team's unbeaten streak still stands:

Fernando Duarte believes the result brings an end to a year the team would like to forget as soon as possible:

Austria have looked sensational during the early part of Euro 2016 qualifiers and backed it up against one of the very best teams in all of football on Tuesday, sending a clear signal to the rest of the continent. Das Team have the look of a dark-horse contender in France, with plenty of talent evenly distributed throughout the squad.

Dunga won't be happy that it took his team until deep in the second half to display some creativity in the attacking third, but against a resilient Austrian side, the Brazilians found a way to win. That in itself is worthy of praise, and it will give the Canarinho even more momentum as the 2014 campaign comes to a close.

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