Pepe scores in 100th match, helps Portugal hold Croatia 11

FARO,PORTUGAL: Portugal defender Pepe celebrated his 100th cap by heading the equaliser to give his side a 1-1 draw against World Cup runners-up Croatia in a friendly on Thursday.

Croatia took the lead in the 18th minute when forward Ivan Perisic fired home a loose ball after it ricocheted around the Portugal defence.

Brazilian-born Pepe, handed the captaincy for the match, levelled 14 minutes later with a thumping header from Pizzi’s cross.

Portugal rested all-time leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, still adapting to his move from Real Madrid to Juventus, while Sergio Oliveira and Sao Tome-born Gedson Fernandes won their first caps after coming on as secondhalf substitutes

DEPAY BRACE IN SNEIJDER FAREWELL

AMSTERDAM: Wesley Sneijder turned out for the Netherlands for the 134th and final time on Thursday as Memphis Depay’s brace secured a 2-1 friendly win over Peru in Amsterdam.

On an emotional night at the Johan Cruyff Arena, Dutch coach Ronald Koeman handed over the captain’s armband to Sneijder. The former Real Madrid and Inter Milan playmaker who moved to Al Gharafa of Qatar earlier this year, took the microphone and encouraged fans to join him for a beer on their way out of the stadium.

A star of the Dutch team that reached the 2010 World Cup final, Sneijder received a warm ovation from the 50,000 fans at the home of Ajax, the club where he began his career.

The most-capped Dutch player of all time, who won his first cap in 2003, leaves behind a team trying to rebuild after failing to qualiy for Euro 2016 and the last World Cup.

Netherlands fell behind against the Peruvians through a Pedro Aquino goal early on, but Lyon forward Depay equalised on the hour mark before netting the winner seven minutes from time to seal the win.