Fabio Vieira scored from the spot for Portugal's under-21s but it wasn't enough to stave off a late winner from Japan's Shota Fujio.
Our midfielder appeared as a second-half substitute in the international friendly against Japan's U21s and his successful penalty in the 78th minute looked set to rescue a point for Portugal, until the visitors scored in injury time. Nuno Tavares began the game as a left-back but was substituted at half-time.
Speaking afterwards, Vieira reflected on the close game: "We knew that Japan had a good team with quality players - very aggressive. In the first half, we were poorly organised. The second half was different and we adjusted a little, pressed when we had to press, and continued to look for the depth. But unfortunately, Japan got the win."
“We are here to prepare for the European Championships. We know that the level we will find there is quite high, with high-quality teams equal to us."
"These games help us take what we have done less well and correct it for the Euros," he added.
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