(Football news) Brazil progressed to the Round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup after a 1-0 win over Switzerland at Stadium 974 thanks to a goal by Casemiro in the 83rd minute. The five time World Cup winners found it difficult to break down a resilient Switzerland side and it appeared to be heading for a goalless draw in the absence of their talisman Neymar, who is currently out with an ankle injury.
Vinicius Junior saw his second half strike ruled out by the VAR as Richarlison, who scored a brace in Brazil’s opening match, was offside in the build up. However, with seven minutes on the clock, Casemiro capitalised on a smart flick by Rodrygo to find the back of the net, thanks to a small deflection by Swiss defender Manuel Akanji.
The result meant that Brazil remained on top of Group G with six points, winning both their Group Stage games so far and are guaranteed a place in the Round of 16. As for Switzerland, they remain in second place with three points and will need to win their final Group Stage fixture against Serbia to progress while a draw might also be enough if Cameroon fail to win against Brazil.
Tite, who has been criticised for his conservative approach, elected to go for Fred in the absence of Neymar, a decision that would have brought intense scrutiny had Brazil failed to win against Switzerland. Brazil were far from their best against Switzerland, especially in the first half where their only opportunity was a weak shot by Raphinha and a chance at the back post for Vinicius, who could not connect with the ball properly.
As for Switzerland, they offered little to no attacking threat, failing to land a single shot on target in 90 minutes. Brazil goalkeeper Alisson had a few nervy moments in possession while Brazil looked a bit exposed in the second half, resulting in Alex Sandro making a desperate slide to block Silvan Widmer’s cross.
The South American side grew more frustrated as the clock ticked on with Tite bringing on attack-minded Rodrygo, Bruno Guimaraes, Gabriel Jesus and Antony to get a result. Few would have predicted that out of the plethora of attacking players Brazil has, it would be Casemiro who will find the breakthrough but the 30 year old did just that, scoring only his sixth goal in 67 international appearances. In the end, a goal was all Brazil needed to get the three points and secure passage into the Round of 16.
“Obviously Neymar has a different skill-set. He is a player who in a magical moment can dribble past you and all of a sudden, you say, ‘What happened here?’. He has that skill. Other players are getting there to get to the level he is at and I hope they get there. Yes, we do miss Neymar, we do miss him. He has a big creative power, he’s very effective so we miss him, yes. But there are other players who can take their opportunity.”
Brazil boss Tite
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