Brazil-Senegal friendly hit by poor turnout with National Stadium only half-full

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SINGAPORE – A half-empty stadium of 20,621 fans watched the friendly between Brazil and Senegal last night at the National Stadium, well off the sold-out crowd of 51,577 that turned out for the five-time world champions’ clash with Japan in 2014.

While the occasionally boisterous crowd cheered on Neymar and Co. in the 1-1 draw, as well as the two young pitch invaders before the start of the second half, there were swathes of empty seats and sections in the 55,000-seater National Stadium, with the two upper decks left unoccupied.

Fans who The Straits Times spoke to said they were surprised by the lacklustre turnout for the first clash between the two countries, which featured stars such as Neymar, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane.

Sam Barthi, who was at the stadium with a group of friends, attributed this to the match being held on a weekday.

The 36-year-old Brazil fan said he is still considering whether to buy tickets to the Sunday game between Brazil and Nigeria, adding that he had bought yesterday’s ticket at a discount.

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