In order to defeat Switzerland 1-0 on Monday and advance to the World Cup’s last 16 with one game remaining, Brazil, who was playing without injured star Neymar, needed a goal from Casemiro late in the game.
At Doha’s Stadium 974, the stubborn Swiss team had vexed the Brazilians, and it appeared as though they would have to settle for a point when a Vinicius Junior goal in the second half was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
But then, with seven minutes left, Casemiro received a pass from Rodrygo well inside the area, and his volley into the goal was assisted by a little but crucial deflection from Manuel Akanji.
Only France and Tite’s team have advanced to the round of 16, and they are the only team other than the defending champions to have won both of their group games in Qatar thus far.
“Qualification was the primary goal. In a group as challenging as ours, that was crucial, Casemiro, 30, said Brazilian channel Sportv.
“Because they were an experienced team and knew how to play the game, we had to be patient. The outcome was always going to depend on the tiniest of details, but we were confident that we would have enough of possession and, happily, we managed to score.
Brazil has six points and may be tempted to rest players for their last Group G match against Cameroon on Friday. A draw will guarantee them a spot in the semifinals.
While Switzerland failed to register a shot on goal, they are still on track to qualify since they know a victory over Serbia in their final match will be enough to advance Murat Yakin’s team, while a draw may still be acceptable.
“We can compete with larger squads. Yakin, who was lacking one of his primary creative sparks in Xherdan Shaqiri, asserted, “I think we have demonstrated that time and time again.
There are a lot of positive things to learn from this, even though we lacked some forward-moving boldness. While Brazil is in Qatar to win a sixth World Cup, and nothing less will do, they have a tendency of making at least the first round of important competitions.
The Paris Saint-Germain star was always going to be missed by the Selecao, but coach Tite is optimistic that Neymar can heal from his ankle injury in time to participate in the finals.
The Brazilians were reminded of the depth of the European game after Richarlison’s talent made the difference in their opening victory over Serbia. They were likewise contained by Switzerland in the group stage four years prior, before succumbing to Belgium in the quarterfinals.
– Fred in for Neymar –
Brazil, who started Fred, a midfielder for Manchester United, in place of Neymar, had no need to be afraid of Yakin’s team.
With Fred and Lucas Paqueta on either side of Casemiro and Eder Militao filling in for the injured Danilo at right-back, they were set up in a 4-3-3 formation.
The greatest applause from the throngs of yellow and green fans came when the big screen displayed two-time World Cup-winning striker Ronaldo in the stands. Brazil showed only glimpses of its potential in a difficult first half.
The best opportunity of the first half fell to Vinicius, who connected with a Raphinha cross at the back post in the 27th minute, but Yann Sommer deflected his shot beyond.
When Tite hooked Paqueta at halftime and substituted Rodrygo, it was evident that he was not pleased with how Brazil had performed in the first half. Just after the hour mark, when Brazil appeared to be ahead, the 21-year-old was engaged. He assisted in gaining control before Casemiro released Vinicius, who then sprinted through and scored.
The goal was disallowed by VAR for Richarlison’s offside, thus the celebrations were short-lived.
The goal eventually came from a less probable source in Casemiro, and Brazil finished the game with a well-deserved victory. Tite then resorted to his bench and added more attackers in Gabriel Jesus and Antony.
