Deprived of his star, injured in the ankle, the Seleçao validated her ticket for the knockout stages on Sunday, taking the best on Switzerland (1-0) without shining.
by Clément Martel (Doha, Special Envoy)
Doha stadium 974 serves different ends. Removable, this strange assembly of containers – there are 974, that is to say the telephone indicator of Qatar – serves as an environmental guarantee at the World Cup in the Gulf country. But Monday, November 28, the enclosure could have served as a model for the Brazilian team: in any building, each room must find its place. In the absence of his star Neymar, injured in the ankle in the first match, Brazil struggled, but took the best in Switzerland (1-0). In the absence of a successful performance, the players of the Seleçao, who dream of a sixth global coronation – to the point for some of having drawn the star on their training shorts – validated their ticket for the next round competition.
Forced to experiment with life without Neymar, staying at the hotel to favor his rehabilitation, it is a more messy Brazil than during the accompanied partition of their opening match which invested the lawn. Less fluid, on alternating current. And like the Seleçao, deprived of the one by whom often comes the spark, stadium 974 was, at the end of the first period, victim of a drop in light intensity. But the partners of Captain Thiago Silva fulfilled their mission: to prevail, to qualify for the knockout stages.
tite is perhaps the only one among the selectors of the thirty-two teams competing in the World Cup to have such an offensive paraphernalia. To compensate for the absence of his number 10, there was no shortage of options. However, the absence of the Paris Saint-Germain player (PSG) was felt straight away. Author of a double in the previous match, Richarlison did not hide that Neymar had missed. “I am number 9, I need him to open spaces and be able to find myself alone in front. Unfortunately, the ball did not arrive much before today,” said Tottenham striker after the encounter. But according to him, focusing on the absence of Neymar does not allow the evening opponent to be taken into account: “Switzerland has one of the best defenses in Europe, it’s a very good team.”
For more than 80 minutes of play, the Brazilians were relentless to force the Helvète safe. Very structured, and applying to the letter the plan of his coach, Murat Yakin, consisting in tightening the screw in defense and projecting himself as soon as possible, the Nati has sporadically posed problem in the Brazilian rear guard. Opposite, Tite players have struggled to translate their possession into real occasions. “Switzerland plays low and it seems to tell you” make mistakes and I will take advantage “, summed up the Brazilian coach, forced to change his flight plan, after having” read the game “of the opponents of the day.
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