WORLD CUP ’94 / DAILY REPORT : Canada Holds Brazil to Draw, 1-1, On Reserve’s Goal

Canada produced one of its finest soccer results Sunday, tying World Cup favorite Brazil, 1-1, on a goal by substitute Eddy Berdusco in the 70th minute of a World Cup tuneup game.

Berdusco, who entered in the 62nd minute, sent the crowd of 51,930 at Edmonton into a frenzy when he hammered a shot high into the left corner over goalie Claudio Taffarel.

The goal came after Romario scored in the 45th minute. The Brazilian star took a pass at the top of the penalty box, snaked his way through three defenders before drilling a low, hard shot to the left corner behind goalie Craig Forrest.

The game was one of five exhibitions Canada is playing against World Cup-bound teams. Brazil, a three-time champion, will open World Cup play June 20 against Russia at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto. Canada failed to qualify.

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Herman Gaviria and Freddy Rincon scored in the second half on setups off free kicks as Colombia defeated Greece, 2-0, in a World Cup tuneup for both teams at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Not only was the exhibition a tuneup for the teams, it was the first test of the stadium’s new grass field, which was installed over an artificial surface in May.

And from all indications, the field held up well. The ball appeared to bounce smoothly, the footing was good and the grass did not come up as players were tackled, a major concern with seven World Cup games scheduled here in June and July.

Colombia, which will be playing in its third World Cup and second in a row, dominated the game before a crowd of 73,511, most of whom wore yellow and rooted for the South American team.

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Striker Tomas Brolin struck twice within six minutes early in the second half as Sweden beat Norway, 2-0, to win the three-nation Nordic Cup soccer tournament.

It was the last exhibition before the World Cup finals for Norway, which will play Mexico in its opening game in Washington on June 19.

Sweden will face Romania in its final tuneup in San Diego on June 12 before taking on Cameroon in the World Cup opener seven days later at the Rose Bowl.

The Swedes, who lost their first Nordic Cup match, 1-0, to European champion Denmark, struggled in the first half against a Norwegian defense that conceded only one goal in four previous exhibitions.

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Ireland, a surprise winner over the Netherlands and Germany on the road, was a 3-1 victim of non-qualifier Czech Republic in Dublin.

Pavel Kuka scored twice and Jan Suchoparek scored a third goal as the Czechs found holes in the Irish defense. Andy Townsend scored for Ireland.

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Ecuador’s Ivo Ron scored twice to beat World Cup-bound South Korea, 2-1, at Wakefield, Mass.