Seeking to secure a place in the round of 16, Brazil assumed a resilience Swiss in his second FIFA World Cup 2022 Group G game on Monday night (November 28). Brazil went to work for it at Estadio 974, but eventually came away with maximum points, securing a 1-0 victory. Casemiro scored the only goal of the match to lead his team to the round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Brazil endured a slow start to the game. Switzerland marked them hard in the first exchanges, preventing them from chaining passes.
La Selecao finally managed to stretch their legs on 12 minutes, with Richarlison getting some space down the right flank. The Tottenham Hotspur man looked to cut the ball off for Vinicius Junior inside the area, but he saw his pass intercepted by Nico Elvedi. A minute later, an excellent one touch pass saw Richarlison through on goal. The former Everton player, however, was unable to control the ball and sent it back for a goal kick.
In the 26th minute, Raphinha brilliantly took advantage of a run by Vinicius Junior down the left flank. The Real Madrid player was unable to make clean contact with the shot, allowing Swiss goalkeeper Ian Sommer to push him back for a corner.
Switzerland created their first clear chance of the night in the 39th minute. Ricardo Rodríguez ran down the left wing and sent a cross to Rubén Vargas. Vargas made a clean spin to get away from Eder Militao, but was unable to deflect the shot away from him.
Switzerland started the second half right where they left off in the first. Silvan Widmer finished off a low cross to the near post for Fabian Rieder. The winger made contact but was unable to pass the ball past Alisson.
On 64 minutes, Casemiro placed Vinicius Junior down the left flank, and the winger kept his cool brilliantly to find the back of the net. Unfortunately for Tite’s men, Richarlison was caught offside on the play, resulting in the goal being disallowed. Nineteen minutes later, Brazil found the back of the net again, and this time, the goal stood.
Manchester United ace Casemiro sent in an impressive half-volley from the left side of the box. He had a lucky deflection on his way to the back of the net. A few minutes later, Rodrygo impressively engineered a yard of space inside the Swiss box and went for the goal. Sommer cleverly pushed him over the bar.
Brazil tried to increase their one-goal lead in the final minutes, but Switzerland held firm to limit the five-time FIFA World Cup winners to a narrow 1-0 victory. Here are three Brazilian players who impressed and two who fell short in their win over the Swiss on Monday:
Interpreted: Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior was not at his best against Switzerland, but he was definitely Brazil’s most ambitious player on the pitch. He faced off against the players, beating them quite a few times. He created scoring chances and also assisted behind. If Vinicius Junior had finished off the occasion in the 26th minute, he would have had a practically perfect start.
Vinicius Junior played two key passes against the Swiss, created a great chance and won seven rushing games. He also drew a game-high five fouls, made two tackles and blocked a shot.
Underachieving: Richarlison
Richarlison made headlines by scoring two excellent goals in the Selecao’s 2022 FIFA World Cup opener against Serbia. The Spurs ace was unable to pick up where he left off against Serbia, struggling to get into the game. Unlike the game against Serbia, Richarlison seemed a little slower than the opposition, and he couldn’t get to the end of two excellent first-half deliveries.
On Monday night, Richarlison failed to get any shots on goal, completing just three passes in 73 minutes and was caught offside once. He also lost a duel, lost possession eight times and failed the only dribble he attempted.
Performed: Alex Sandro
Left back Alex Sandro was rock solid at the back of the Selecao on Monday night. The Juventus player impressed with his distribution, making the most of his defensive acumen to sniff out danger and holding his own in one-on-one battles.
He won’t get the recognition he deserves, but Alex Sandro was 100% my Man of the Match. He was amazing today. https://t.co/5chLa4UlJc
At Stadium 974, Sandro attempted a game-high seven tackles, winning three of them. He made 11 recoveries, completed 54 passes (88.5% accuracy) and won 10 of 11 running games. Sandro also committed two fouls, completed a dribble and made a key pass.
Poor performance: Lucas Paquetá
Lucas Paquetá started alongside Fred and Casemiro in a three-man midfield. The West Ham United midfielder couldn’t do his best, he struggled to stretch the game with his long balls and lost possession several times.
Paquetá lost possession 12 times, deflected a cross and a long ball; and lost both of their running games in Brazil’s second FIFA World Cup game in Qatar. Not impressed with his performance, Tite opted for a change of form, replacing him with Rodrygo at half-time.
Interpreted: Casemiro
Manchester United holding midfielder Casemiro had a game to remember on Monday night. He dictated play in midfield, made some vital defensive interceptions and of course scored the game-winner in the 83rd minute.
Casemiro received a fine pass from Rodrygo, improvised the shot on the fly and sent in a mesmerizing half-volley to leave Sommer pinned in place. Casemiro would also have had an assist to his name if Vinicius Junior’s goal had not been disallowed for offside.
In Brazil’s second match at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Casemiro made four interceptions, completed 41 passes (85.4% accuracy) and accurately delivered two long balls. He also won a rushing duel, attempted a tackle and blocked a shot.
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