Substitute striker Euller’s 71st-minute goal off a clearance made the difference for Palmeiras, which was playing a long ball game under new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. Palmeiras’ roster included 1994 World Cup champion Zinho, a second half substitute, and 20-year-old central defender Roque Junior, who would be transferred to Milan three years later.
The match was a warmup for the Reebok Cup, sponsored by the Stoughton-based company. Palmeiras drew with Junior (2-2) in Miami and lost to Necaxa (4-1) in Chicago. A brawl broke out in the Palmeiras-Junior match, a Palmeiras trainer appearing to threaten a Junior player with a scalpel, coach Julio Cesar Uribe red-carded after punching a Palmeiras player.
From my Boston Globe story:
“The team is adjusting to the style of new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, plus the addition of several new players, including World Cup ’94 starter Zinho. However, Scolari’s intentions seem to be to impose the combative, direct style which earned him success at Gremio Porto Alegre.”
Scolari would go on to guide Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title but his return to the team ended in losses to Germany (7-1) in the semifinals and The Netherlands (3-0) in the third-place game in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY