It was a lazy Sunday morning, the perfect weather to sleep in. But that did not stop over 300 fans from waiting patiently for Brazil's football team at Changi Airport's Terminal 2. Brazil will play Japan on Tuesday in an international football friendly at the National Stadium.
The Selecao arrived from Beijing shortly after 8am and although still visibly tired from a long flight and the exertions of beating Argentina 2-0 on Saturday, Neymar and Co. obliged with smiles and autographs.
Neymar, sporting a Brazil cap and sunglasses, drew the loudest cheers, the striker making his comeback after a back injury ruled him out of the World Cup semi-final and subsequent third-place playoff.
The likes of Kaka and David Luiz were also popular with the fans, although the samba boys were whisked off within a few minutes to the team bus waiting for them.
Tuesday's match is set to be the first sell-out event at the new National Stadium with only limited tickets available. A capacity 55,000 crowd is expected to be there, including Flavio Andrade.
He is confident that even though Japanese fans are set to outnumber Brazilian, he is confident the neutrals will root for the Selecao.
"Brazil are many people's second favourite team with their many individual talents like Neymar and David Luiz," said the 24-year-old offshore technical officer from the state of Espirito Santo.
"I think those fans will come down and boost our numbers."
He will be going to the match with 26 other Brazilians working here in the Lion City.
What Brazilian fans are lacking in numbers, added Andrade, they compensate for by making their presence heard and felt.
"Brazilian supporters are a very vocal group who will be singing and dancing to music made by drums. Not to mention, we are dressed in the bright colours of yellow and green," he said.
"I don't know if drums are allowed this time but we'll be in Brazilian tops and bringing our flags to show the Brazilian players they are not alone here.
"I'm confident our support will still drive them to a win."
