Brazil edged past Chile and France got the better of Denmark in their friendly matches, while Germany, Scotland and Portugal registered victories in their Euro 2016 qualifying matches.
Brazil sink feisty Chile to continue winning run
Roberto Firmino's goal gave Brazil a 1-0 victory over Chile in a feisty friendly at the Emirates Stadium in London on Sunday, their eighth successive win since last year's disappointing World Cup campaign.
Firmino, a 61st-minute substitute, burst clear after 73 minutes and expertly rounded Chile keeper Claudio Bravo before dispatching a simple finish into the empty goal.
Brazil forward Neymar and Chile's Alexis Sanchez were the standout players for their sides but were often wasteful after dazzling build-up play in a full-blooded game punctuated by a host of fouls and heavy challenges.
Brazil, who beat France 3-1 last week, have won all eight matches under coach Dunga since finishing fourth in last year’s World Cup on home soil and they have now lost just seven times in 70 games against south American rivals Chile.
Brazil dumped Chile out of the World Cup’s last-16 with a 3-2 victory on penalties in their last meeting and horns, flags, balloons and a fervent carnival atmosphere greeted kick-off in north London.
The mercurial Neymar -- long burdened with the hopes of a nation -- cut a frustrated figure in the opening stages as he was hounded by Chile’s rugged defence.
At the other end Arsenal’s effervescent talisman Sanchez, a former team mate of Neymar's at Barcelona, flicked, tricked and turned his way through Brazil’s midfield but rarely had a clear sight of goal.
Neymar was left writhing on the floor midway through the half after an apparent stamp by Gary Medel in an incident which encapsulated a fractious opening that had simmered rather than sparkled.
Neymar’s teasing free kick evaded desperate lunges from Souza and Miranda before Douglas Costa blazed over.
In a more open start to the second half Sanchez twice went close with speculative free kicks as Chile began to assert their authority on proceedings.
But largely against the run of play Firmino was released to nervelessly score the game’s solitary goal.
Hoffenheim forward Firmino snatched at a chance for his second and Brazil goalkeeper Jefferson had to be alert to parry Matias Fernandez’s free kick for Chile who are hosting this year's Copa America.
Reus, Mueller on target as Germany ease past Georgia
World Cup winners Germany eased past hosts Georgia 2-0 in their Euro 2016 qualifier on Sunday with first-half goals from Marco Reus and Thomas Mueller enough to get their Group D campaign back on track.
Reus put the visitors ahead after 39 minutes and Mueller doubled their lead before the break as the Germans, who had an erratic start to qualifiers last year and lost in Poland, were never threatened by their weaker opponents.
The win lifted Germany, who did not need to hit top form, to 10 points from five games, as many as leaders Poland, who take on Ireland later on Sunday. Scotland are also on 10.
Georgia have had a tough start in Group D, recording four defeats and a win in Gibraltar to stay on three points.
It did not take long for Germany, with several World Cup winners back in the squad including captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, to threaten with Reus' powerful drive palmed on to the crossbar by keeper Giorgi Loria after five minutes.
With coach Joachim Loew reverting to a four-man defence from a three-player experiment against Australia in a friendly on Wednesday, the Germans were in and around their opponents' box for most of the first half.
Mueller fired at goal directly from a corner only to see the ball fly just wide of the post and Mesut Ozil missed another big chance as the visitors had the hosts firmly on the backfoot.
Reus did better in the 39th when Mario Goetze charged into the box and was lucky to scramble the ball to the winger, who drilled home for his second goal this week, after also scoring in their 2-2 friendly draw against Australia.
Mueller then added another on the stroke of halftime to firmly put them in the driving seat.
New Georgia coach Kakhaber Tskhadadze added a forward after the break but it was Reus who came close again, rattling the bar for a second time on the hour with another powerful shot.
Coentrao strike seals Portugal win over Serbia
Portugal climbed to the top of European Championship qualifying Group I with a hard-fought 2-1 win over a resolute Serbia side on Sunday.
Portugal midfielders Tiago, Joao Moutinho and Fabio Coentrao maintained a firm grip on the match and only when Serbia equalised through a brilliant goal by Nemanja Matic early in the second half did the visitors look likely to get a result.
Portugal struck after 10 minutes when stalwart defender Ricardo Carvalho glanced a well-placed header into the net from close range.
Midfielder Nemanja Matic was a bright spark for a subdued Serbian side that lacked creativity, with Chelsea right back Branislav Ivanovic struggling as a central defender and at fault for Carvahlo's goal.
Matic, playing on his old Benfica stamping ground to great effect, connected with a breathtaking left-foot scissor kick to make it 1-1 after 61 minutes.
But Portugal struck straight back through man-of-the-match Coentrao, who slid in Joao Moutinho's low cross at the far post to cap an energetic performance.
Portugal saw out the remaining minutes without any major scares, bringing on Ricardo Quaresma to keep the overworked Serbian defence pinned back as world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo produced an unusually quiet performance.
"My side showed a lot of maturity, a lot of experience," said Portugal manager Fernando Santos, who hailed his side's superb workrate.
"It is not, however, age or identity that plays the most important role in our squad but the willingness to work hard for the results we want...
"This is a squad of players, which is prepared to work hard to satisfy its goals," he told reporters.
Serbia coach Radovan Curcic rued the soft goals his team conceded on his competitive debut.
"We let in the goals in the worst possible moments for us, especially the second after we had equalised and got back into the game," he said.
"A quick transition is Portugal's greatest strength and you're always going to be vulnerable when you chase the game against them."
Portugual head Group I after four matches by two points from Denmark and Albania.
France recover from Brazil defeat with 2-0 Denmark win
France recovered from last week's defeat by Brazil when Alexandre Lacazette and Olivier Giroud earned a second-string side a 2-0 home friendly win over Denmark in St Etienne on Sunday.
Lacazette, who was booed by the crowd before kickoff because he plays for St Etienne's bitter rivals Olympique Lyonnais, was then loudly cheered when he scored France's first in the 14th minute.
Giroud doubled their tally before the interval as Les Bleus, the Euro 2016 hosts, cantered to a win that showed their strength in depth.
Denmark, who beat the United States 3-2 in a friendly on Wednesday in Aarhus, were much better in the second half with Nicklas Bendtner being denied by Stephane Ruffier's brilliant save in the 65th minute.
They lie second in their Euro qualifying Group I with seven points from four games, two adrift of Portugal.
France coach Didier Deschamps made eight changes to the team who lost 3-1 against Brazil, with only centre back Raphael Varane, midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin and forward Antoine Griezmann left from Thursday's friendly at the Stade de France.
"I saw good things in the first half but after the break we struggled. Maybe it's normal after we made some more changes. Anyway, we stayed focused and that's good," Deschamps told French TV channel TF1.
Lacazette seized the opportunity and scored his first goal in six caps with a half volley from inside the box after Kasper Schmeichel had deflected Griezmann's shot into the path of the Ligue 1 top scorer.
Lacazette came close again in the 24th minute but Schmeichel superbly parried away his 20-metre thunderbolt.
Seven minutes before the break, Giroud was nicely played in by Geoffrey Kondogbia before beating Schmeichel with a low shot.
Denmark stepped up a gear after the break and Ruffier made a superb save to deny Bendtner and preserve France's lead as the visitors dominated possession.
Morten Olsen's team increased the pressure but the French defence, marshalled by Varane who was captain on the day in the absence of the injured Hugo Lloris, held on.
Ruffier then dived at the feet of Bendtner in the 88th minute after the former Arsenal striker had slalomed his way into the box.
France next face Belgium at home and Albania away in friendlies in June, when Denmark will take on Serbia in a Euro qualifier.
Scotland smash Gibraltar, but a new 'Rock star' emerges
Gibraltar could at least savour the consolation of unearthing a policeman-turned-footballing 'Rock star' as they reprised their new role as the whipping boys of the Euro 2016 qualifiers with a 6-1 hammering by Scotland in Glasgow on Sunday.
A hat-trick from Steven Fletcher, the first by a Scottish international striker since Colin Stein in 1969, decorated the romp and ensured that UEFA's new boys have now conceded 27 goals in their first five pointless competitive internationals.
Yet still nothing could deflect from the pure joy of the moment at Hampden Park when, after 379 minutes of trying, Lee Casciaro, an officer with the Royal Gibraltar Police force, scored the part-timers' first ever goal in qualifying ties.
Very good it was too. Scotland had just gone ahead after 18 minutes through a Shaun Maloney penalty, courtesy of a rash challenge on Maloney from Gibraltar's keeper Jamie Robba.
Just a minute later, though, Aaron Payas, a lawyer, slipped a lovely ball on the counter attack to Casciaro, who fired low into the corner of the net to the delight of 500 travelling fans from the Rock.
At that point, the visitors were dreaming furiously. Until then, the side managed by a Scot, Davie Wilson -- splendidly dubbed the "Jock of Gibraltar" -- had been every bit the equal of the home side.
The Tartan Army were left grimacing at the prospect of another of Scotland's famed embarrassing struggles against minnows in an inglorious tradition which has taken in Costa Rica, San Marino and Liechtenstein.
They had no need for concern, though. Sunderland striker Fletcher, who had not scored for six years for Scotland, put them ahead after 29 minutes with a looping header.
Six minutes later, hero Casciaro turned villain, a rash foul in the box leading to Maloney's second penalty conversion before Steven Naismith made it four after 39 minutes with a simple side-footed finish after Gibraltar were carved open.
The second half promised a deluge but a combination of an uninventive Scottish attack and stout Gibraltar defending ensured respectability for the visitors until Fletcher's second headed goal after 78 minutes and his cool hat-trick strike in the final seconds.
The victory, which meant Scotland have lost just twice in their last 13 internationals, leaves them on 10 points in Group D, alongside Germany, who won 2-0 in Georgia, and Poland, who were playing later against Ireland.
