Created on 23-03-2013 at 00:00 AM
Bayern duo Dante and Luiz Gustavo each won another cap for Brazil as the five-time World Cup winners drew 2-2 with four-time world champions Italy in a prestige friendly on Thursday evening. Fifteen months prior to the 2014 edition of the global showdown on home soil, Fred (33) and Oscar (42) handed A Selecao a 2-0 half-time lead, but the 29,700 crowd in Geneva saw the Squadra Azzurra battle back in the second period with a rapid-fire double from Daniele De Rossi (54) and Mario Balotelli (57). In his second appearance for the Brazil senior side, Dante covered the full 90 minutes, with Gustavo brought on as a last-minute substitute.
Schweinsteiger draws level with Ballack
Bastian Schweinsteiger is closing in on a century of international caps after making his 98th appearance for Germany in Friday evening’s 3-0 win away to Kasachstan. In the all-time appearance chart, Schweinsteiger is now level with Michael Ballack, his long-time midfield partner both for the national team and for Bayern. The 28-year-old is now 11th in the ranking, with team-mate Philipp Lahm hot on his heels: the full-back won his 97th cap in Astana.