Brazil 1 vs Switzerland 0: Casemiro seals Round of 16 berth for Selecao

Having
lost
star
forward
Neymar
to
injury
during
their
opening
win
against
Serbia,
the
Selecao
had
been
forced
into
a
tactical
reshuffle
for
their
second
match
at
Qatar
2022.
This
was
Brazil’s
finest
start
to
a
World
Cup
campaign
since
2002
and
we
all
know
how
that
tournament
ended
for
Brazil.

But
despite
a
front
three
of
Vinicius
Junior,
Richarlison
and
Raphinha,
Tite’s
side
ultimately
needed
veteran
midfielder
Casemiro
to
see
them
through
without
their
talisman
in
a
tight
Group
G
encounter.
It
is
a
credit
for
Switzerland
that
they
were
able
to
fend
off
Brazil’s
fearsome
attack
line
for
a
good
part
of
the
match.

1

2277819

Only
from
the
60th
minute
or
so,
they
were
pushed
behind
as
Brazil
fielded
their
full
attack
strength
in
search
of
a
goal.

Victory
in
Doha
means
Brazil
join
defending
champions
France
in
the
last
16,
though
defeat
for
Switzerland
still
leaves
them
in
second
place,
with
their
fate
in
their
own
hands.

Operating
with
a
wide
offensive
approach,
Brazil
had
frequently
harried
their
opponents
but
seldom
left
Yann
Sommer
seriously
troubled
between
the
posts
before
the
interval.

An
increase
in
tempo
after
the
break
brought
sharper
opportunities,
with
Breel
Embolo
tormenting
Alisson
after
a
blocked
clearance
and
Richarlison
agonisingly
close
to
a
looping
Vinicius
ball.

The
latter
looked
to
have
put
Brazil
on
top
after
a
Swiss
defensive
lapse
just
after
the
hour
mark,
only
for
VAR
to
chalk
his
neat
finish
off
for
a
contentious
offside
call
against
team-mate
Richarlison.

But
Casemiro
struck
late
on,
catching
a
Rodrygo
ball
on
the
half-volley
to
leave
a
bulging
mark
in
the
net
and
keep
the
Selecao
on
course
in
their
pursuit
of
a
first
World
Cup
triumph
for
two
decades.