Brazil vs Switzerland Review
Coutinho shines, disappointing Jesus, solid Switzerland, night to forget for Neymar?
Brazil 1-1 Switzerland
All eyes were on the Brazilian national team to deliver a win for their first game of the 2018 Russia World Cup, but it was a tale of two halves for Tite's side, whose first half dominance cannot be overstated as Philippe Coutinho unleashed a vintage Coutinho-esque curler to leave Yann Sommer with no chance of getting a fingertip on the ball. This exciting first half of football by Tite's side leaves a few heads scratching as it is difficult to figure out what went wrong for Brazil in the second half.
On fifty minutes, Steven Zuber stepped up for Switzerland, scoring a thunderous header from close range and ultimately being too strong for Brazilian centre-back Miranda, who complained at a supposed shove by Zuber to gain an aerial advantage over his adversary, which was ultimately dismissed by the referee. Upon further inspection, it seems Miranda is clutching at straws for an excuse as to his quite simply woeful defending. What followed was forty minutes(plus five stoppage time) of a barrage of attacks from the five time World Cup winners, who could not step up in the second half to provide anything of substance to keep their expectant and loving fans happy in the Rostov Arena, but what stood out was Switzerland's ability to soak up pressure and stop forces like Neymar from grabbing the game by the throat. Substitutions of Paulinho for Renato Augusto, Casemiro for Fernandinho and Gabriel Jesus for Roberto Firmino could not change fortunes for Brazil, who now have to undoubtedly work on what made their second half performance so poor from what we saw in the first half of play.
It was a relatively quiet night for Neymar, whose flamboyant Ronaldinho-esque style meant he kept losing the ball in important areas of the pitch, cutting inside to the advantage of the Swiss defenders who were perfectly content with bullying him. It is clear that the 26 year old needs to step up his work off the ball as well as making passes for teammates instead of making it difficult for his countrymen to get anything out of the game.
Brazil enjoyed 55% possession while registering 21 shots on goal to Switzerland's 6, however for Tite's side to make more clear-cut chances, it may be advisable to start Roberto Firmino to help out Jesus, who had a disappointing night, failing to register a single shot on target. Firmino is excellent with the chances he takes, as seen in his amazing season with Liverpool in which his goal-scoring and assisting accolades showed how important he is on a domestic level in England. Now he has to prove his worth on the grandest stage of them all. Next, Brazil face Costa Rica on Friday afternoon, and despite having possibly the most talented side on paper at this World Cup, it is clear that Tite's group of superstars have much work to do to fulfill the expectations they have been given by pundits and sports fans alike.
On fifty minutes, Steven Zuber stepped up for Switzerland, scoring a thunderous header from close range and ultimately being too strong for Brazilian centre-back Miranda, who complained at a supposed shove by Zuber to gain an aerial advantage over his adversary, which was ultimately dismissed by the referee. Upon further inspection, it seems Miranda is clutching at straws for an excuse as to his quite simply woeful defending. What followed was forty minutes(plus five stoppage time) of a barrage of attacks from the five time World Cup winners, who could not step up in the second half to provide anything of substance to keep their expectant and loving fans happy in the Rostov Arena, but what stood out was Switzerland's ability to soak up pressure and stop forces like Neymar from grabbing the game by the throat. Substitutions of Paulinho for Renato Augusto, Casemiro for Fernandinho and Gabriel Jesus for Roberto Firmino could not change fortunes for Brazil, who now have to undoubtedly work on what made their second half performance so poor from what we saw in the first half of play.
It was a relatively quiet night for Neymar, whose flamboyant Ronaldinho-esque style meant he kept losing the ball in important areas of the pitch, cutting inside to the advantage of the Swiss defenders who were perfectly content with bullying him. It is clear that the 26 year old needs to step up his work off the ball as well as making passes for teammates instead of making it difficult for his countrymen to get anything out of the game.
Brazil enjoyed 55% possession while registering 21 shots on goal to Switzerland's 6, however for Tite's side to make more clear-cut chances, it may be advisable to start Roberto Firmino to help out Jesus, who had a disappointing night, failing to register a single shot on target. Firmino is excellent with the chances he takes, as seen in his amazing season with Liverpool in which his goal-scoring and assisting accolades showed how important he is on a domestic level in England. Now he has to prove his worth on the grandest stage of them all. Next, Brazil face Costa Rica on Friday afternoon, and despite having possibly the most talented side on paper at this World Cup, it is clear that Tite's group of superstars have much work to do to fulfill the expectations they have been given by pundits and sports fans alike.
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