Brazil-Switzerland 1-0: goal by Casemiro. South Americans in the round of 16

After France, the second qualified for the round of 16 is Brazil who, thanks to a goal in the final by Casemiro, defeated Switzerland. The Seleçao performance was not spectacular, but for the second game in a row they took all three points without conceding a goal. The latter is particularly important in a tournament like the World Cup where the reliability of the back packet makes the difference (zero shots on target allowed today). Even more so if you can count on the talent of Tite, who is spoiled for choice up front despite not having the injured Neymar. The dream of returning to lift the World Cup twenty years after the last time, therefore, is more alive than ever, even if before dreaming big it is necessary to win first place in the group against Cameroon on Friday.

FEW EMOTIONS

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The first half was not as spectacular as could be expected after the fireworks of Brazil in the second half of the match won against Serbia. Perhaps the attitude of the two teams was conditioned by the draw (3-3) in Serbia’s morning match against Cameroon and by a ranking that allowed the green and gold and the Swiss to smile in the event of a draw. The fact remains that the Seleçao deployed with the 4-3-3 (and not with the 4-2-3-1 of the debut) did not excite: the class of the injured Neymar was certainly lacking, not replaced by the talented Rodrygo but from the more concrete Fred. The inclusion of the United midfielder, and the non-use of the Real striker, certified Tite’s more shrewd attitude and held back a team that didn’t let the ball circulate fluidly. Thus, Switzerland’s wall held up: Yakin’s formation transformed the 4-2-3-1 in the offensive phase into a 4-5-1 thanks to the sacrifice of all the strikers. The aim is clear not to leave spaces between the lines, but also not to give depth to the opposing sprinters. However in difficulty Widmer who often saved himself with difficulty. In any case, for the green-and-gold only two shots on target in the initial 45′: a bit short, but still more than the Swiss who never got to the shot thanks to the frequent mistakes in the last pass. The stadium lighting also “tried” to shock a match that didn’t take off, which went out for a few seconds: a small mishap, immediately resolved, which however did not enliven the match.

THE VAR STOPS VINICIUS

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Switzerland continued to play shrewdly in the second half as well. Or at least he did until the 19th minute when a sudden restart by the Brazilians, facilitated by a couple of mistakes in the middle of the pitch and in defense of the Swiss, allowed Casemiro to assist Vinicius’ goal. The Var, signaling an offside by Richarlison, saved Xhaka and his companions who, with Fernandes and Steffen in place of Vargas and Rieder, continued to be less pungent. Tite played the charge with Gabriel Jesus and Antony for Richarlison and Raphinha, but the result was unlocked by an insertion by Casemiro who capitalized on a magic from Rodrygo with his right winger. At this point Switzerland had nothing left to defend and threw themselves all forward by including Frei, but by that point it was too late. Brazil and its people were already celebrating their second victory in two games, with a lot of qualifying for the round of 16.