Brazil He moved the tree throughout the game. And only in the second half did the ripe fruits fall. Serbia’s orderly withdrawal had begun by blocking its paths. But that lasted only 45 minutes, the initial ones. When the intensity and defensive conviction of the Serbs dropped and the spaces appeared, Tite’s team, with two goals from Richarlison (one from a rebounder, the other from an artist) won 2-0 and, without dazzling, he placed on the playing field of the Lusail stadium (the same one where Argentina lost on Tuesday) some of the cards with which he intends to consecrate himself world champion there on Sunday, December 18.
So what Neymar, who came off with a blow to his ankle, only had a discreet night and at times, there was an excess of passes to the foot that facilitated Serbia’s closed defensive scheme that left Tadic and Mitrovic, their two forwards, very alone and unassisted at the top. Brazil played with the certainty that inexorably, at some point in the game, they would win it and that’s how it was. In the second half, they corrected mistakes, moved the ball better, released their full-backs Danilo and Alex Sandro and with Casemiro holding the midfield and the speed of Raphinha and Vinicius Junior on the wings ended up turning Serbia into a tiny football expression.
Also, in those second 45 minutes he found the depth he had been missing. At 14, Alex Sandro left the left post trembling with a phenomenal left-footed shot from outside the area. At 17, the very long goalkeeper Milinkovic Savic (2.03 meters tall) gave up a long rebound after a cross shot from Vinicius and richarlisoncoming from behind, scored the 1 to 0 with a great eye for goals. Richarlison himself, at 28, generated the best goal of the World Cup so far: Vinicius sent another cross from the left and the English Tottenham striker stopped it and with a scissor in the air, scored the 2-0 score that could have been even greater: at minute 35 a shot from outside by Casemiro hit the crossbar. The only note of concern was the departure of Neymar eleven minutes from the end, with a possible sprain in his right ankle.
Unlike England, France and Spain who thrashed manifestly inferior teams like Iran, Australia and Costa Rica, Brazil made its appearance beating a team like Serbia that came to Qatar to get into the top eight of the World Cup. And he did it without any doubt. But giving the impression that it can still perform more. And that it will do so as the World Cup progresses. With the arguments that have brought him here: solidity and the sizzle of his individualities that do not need to shine all the time. Just doing it for a while, at the right time, is enough for them to win, enjoy and dream.
