The Brazilian team debuted in the World Cup in Qatar with a comfortable 2-0 victory against Serbia, although it was not until well into the second half that they could get the victory on track. Richarlison, with a double, was the canarinha’s best player, while Neymar withdrew injured due to a very hard tackle on his right ankle that forced him to request the change.
Alison: a spectator in the first half. He did not have a single intervention in the entire game with significance. He came out very well in a lateral cross in the first half and perhaps he could have done more, in the second, in a corner in which he over-stopped.
Danilo: In a midfielder-wing role, the Juventus player feels more comfortable, but he does not pose an offensive threat in Tite’s system. Serbia held him back for a long time and didn’t let him gain the upper hand with Raphinha on the wing. He had almost no work on defense.
Thiago Silva: imperial when the ball was released, to the point of having generated a one-on-one from Vinicius in the first half with an extraordinary vertical pass. He had problems in a lateral center that Mitrovic almost finished off, but he had a superb game in general. He is, in addition to the captain, the general of this team without any discussion.
Marquinhos: He hardly had any work throughout the game, not even with the entry of Vlahovic. Mitrovic hardly worried him and was Thiago Silva’s bodyguard, who led the charge when it came to getting the ball out.
Alex Sandro: Like Danilo, he hardly ever joins the attack when Brazil has the ball. If his Juventus teammate is a midfielder, he closes as a third center-back to try to clear Vinicius. In the second half he almost opened the net with a good shot from midrange, but it ended up hitting the post.
Casemiro: his first half was correct, but not brilliant either. He tried it with a shot to the front that was deflected and had a hard time finding Neymar. In the second, he almost scored a great goal in the 82nd minute, but a shot from the front hit the crossbar.
Package: It took him longer than usual to settle in the double pivot. He didn’t know in the first half whether to go close to Casemiro to give him a hand when the ball was released or, on the contrary, join the rival field in a role of arrival, as on the occasion that Raphinha missed his pass. Fred entered in his place in the second half.
Raphinha: he missed a flagrant opportunity in the 40th minute after a great pass from Paquetá. In the first half he succumbed to the great Serbian work, which put two players, his brand and a midfielder, so that he did not have time to run and overflow. He was substituted late in the second half by Martinelli.
Neymar: signed, probably, his worst 45 minutes of the season. He was very close to scoring an Olympic goal in the 9th minute, but Milinkovic-Savic, attentive, avoided it. He had 15 turnovers, did not complete a dribble and the Serbian defensive cage riled him up. His second half was much better. In the 1-0 he left two rivals and left Vinicius at ease to finish off. He ended up being replaced by Antony and was seen crying on the bench with an ice pack on his right ankle.
Vinicius Jr: You don’t need your best version to continue making a difference. He had a difficult first half, marked by the spectacular work of Serbia without the ball, who always placed two players so that he could not run. In the second half, he was present at both goals. He forced Milinkovic-Savic at 1-0 to leave the ball dead up front and, in the second, assisted Richarlison with a subtle outside.
Richarlison: Many continue to wonder why he is a starter in a selection of such quality, but the data continues to prove him right. After a somewhat hesitant first half, the Tottenham striker scored a double out of pure opportunism. He scored the first by taking advantage of a rebound from a Vinicius shot and lifted the 80,000 spectators at the Lusail Stadium with an exuberant scissors. There are already 19 goals that he has with the canarinha shirt, in evidence that he does not play because he is Tite’s darling.
Rodrygo: He entered for his teammate Vinicius and had two chances, one that Milinkovic-Savic took out spectacularly from point blank range and another in which he tried to adjust the long post a lot, but his shot went wide.
Fred: starting betting for the World Cup, Fred stayed on the bench in favor of Paquetá. He entered precisely through the middle of West Ham to give more packaging to the Brazilian midfield with a favorable result in the final stretch. He almost scored a good goal up front, but Milinkovic-Savic made a great save.
Gabriel Jesus: came on for Richarlison, he was very active during his playing time, but he didn’t find the goal. He is going to have a very difficult time establishing himself as a starter after the two goals from the Tottenham striker.
Anthony: Forced to change due to Neymar’s injury, he tried several times, but not many balls reached him.
Martinelli: He played three minutes plus added time. Unrated.