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Portugal beat Mozambique

JOHANNESBURG, June 9- Portugal scored all their goals in the second half of a comfortable 3-0 World Cup warm-up victory over Mozambique Tuesday at Wanderers Stadium.But the result was the least of their concerns after star winger Nani from Manchester United was ruled out of the June 11-July 11 tournament earlier in the day with a collarbone injury.

Dejected Nani sat on the sidelines beside former Portuguese star Eusebio, a native of Mozambique who rescued his adopted country by scoring four goals in the famous 5-3 win over North Korea in a 1966 World Cup quarter-final.

Cape Verde-born Nani, whose four goals in 34 games for his country included three during qualifying for South Africa, will be replaced by Ruben Amorim of Benfica.

"It’s very sad," said Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz. "But the most important thing is the cohesion of the team and that we all play together to get over it."

Queiroz was pleased to see midfielder Pepe back in action after the Real Madrid player had been sidelined for six months with a knee injury.

"It’s fantastic. With the help of Real Madrid’s doctors, the Portuguese federation and the technical staff of the national team, we have done a meticulous job," said the coach.

"We must salute his role in the match and after we will see how he gets on."

Pepe admitted he was relieved to have enjoyed time on the pitch.

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"I’m really happy to have made my return and I owe my thanks to the medical staff with Real Madrid and the national team," he said. "I was never worried. I worked very hard for this moment."

Russia-based Danny scored the first goal and created the second for Hugo Almeida from German club Werder Bremen, who also struck the third before a large crowd in cool, clear conditions.

The biggest cheer from spectators, who virtually filled the famous 30,000-seat cricket ground, was not for any of the goals, though, but the mid-second half introduction of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

A crowd consisting mainly of Portuguese-origin South Africans went wild and the darling of Real Madrid did not let them down with his every touch drawing thunderous applause.

It was the most convincing warm-up win for Portugal after a goalless draw against minnows Cape Verde Islands and a 3-1 triumph over fellow qualifiers Cameroon in another home fixture.

The emphasis on African opposition signals the importance coach and former Manchester United manager Queiroz places on their opening Group G fixture on June 15 against Ivory Coast.

Whoever wins the Port Elizabeth clash will have a huge advantage over their rivals in the chase for a second-round place from a mini-league completed by record five-time winners Brazil and 2000-1 rank outsiders North Korea.

A superb through ball from Deco created the stalemate-breaker as Danny burst unchallenged through the middle to spring an offside trap, rounded goalkeeper Lama and tapped the ball into the net.

When Danny crossed 15 minutes from full-time all Almeida needed to do was stroke the ball over the line and when Lama failed to clutch a Ronaldo drive, the same striker completed the scoring with another soft goal.

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