Brazil 1-0 Switzerland
A late goal from Casemiro gave Brazil a huge victory over Switzerland to take full control of World Cup 2022 Group G and win their place in the Round of 16 with a match to spare.
After a quiet first half Brazil moved up the gears in the second period but when Vinicius Junior had a goal ruled out by VAR, on an offside technicality, the Swiss thought they scrapped successfully for a point, but Casemiro’s sweetly hit half volley won the points that Brazil deserved.
After Cameroon and Serbia played out a thrilling 3-3 draw earlier on Monday that left those two teams both stuck on a single point and this defeat leaves Switzerland on three points and still in great shape to progress, but their plan to stifle Brazil on Monday narrowly failed.
Highlights of the game
You expect plenty of World Cup 2022 highlights from Brazil but we got precious little in a pedestrian first half which was pretty much what Switzerland hoped for.
Richarlison gave Brazil a winning start with a well taken brace against Serbia last week and he looked the liveliest of the Selecao’s attackers in the opening period. In the first real attack of the game the Spurs star raced to the bi-line and only a great interception from Silvan Widmer averted the danger. And then Richarlison was inches away from getting on the end of a cross from Lucas Paqueta as the chance went begging.
Brazil’s first shot on target came on 27 minutes when Raphinha fired a dangerous ball across the six yard box and Vinicius Junior forced Yann Sommer into a save at his near post. Raphinha then tested the Swiss keeper with a cleanly hit shot after playing a one-two with Eder Militao but again Sommer saved well. Following the injury to striker Neymar last week, head coach Tite replaced him with defensive midfielder Fred so he may have been preparing for a tight game and in the first 45 that’s exactly what he got.
Two bookings in two minutes early in the second half, one for Switzerland’s Fabian Rieder for an elbow on Rodrygo, and one for Fred for a trip on Djibril Sow got the second half off to a tetchy start, but we nearly had a goal when Vinicius sent in a delicious ball which Richarlison again missed by a whisker.
The game needed a moment of quality and eventually it came, on 64 minutes, when Vinicius picked up the ball on the left and evaded Nico Elvedi before sliding his shot past Sommer into the net. Cue the wild celebrations and then, predictably, cue VAR which spotted an offside earlier in the move when Richarlison won the ball as he ran back from an offside position.
Switzerland thought they had done enough to preserve a point after a solid display but you can always count on Brazil to provide that moment of brilliance when the time comes. And it was Casemiro the hero as he rounded off a flowing move with a first time volley which took a slight nick off Manuel Akanji and flew into the net.
And that one did count!
Rodrygo almost made it two in stoppage time but Akanji made a brilliant saving interception but it didn’t matter as Brazil grabbed their hard earned 1-0.
Key statistics
Here at SBOTOP the latest World Cup 2022 betting odds have been backing the Samba Boys to win the tournament from the off, and they justified that by beating a tough Switzerland team which was at its dogged best.
In a subdued first half Brazil had six shots to Switzerland’s one, with two to nil on target but the Swiss keeper Sommer dealt comfortably with everything thrown at him. The Selecao upped the ante in the second half and finished with five shots on target to nil and they are still to concede a shot on target in the tournament.
This is Brazil’s best start to a campaign for 20 years, and they are the first team in history to go 17 group matches in succession without defeat at the group stage of the World Cup.
What’s next?
There is more top quality action on the way on Tuesday when Wales face England in Group B and Netherlands take on hosts Qatar in Group A. The Three Lions just need to avoid a heavy defeat to progress, while the Oranje can confirm their progress with a win over the already eliminated Qataris.
Brazil face Cameroon in the last match of their group stage and Tite can rest some players if he so chooses. Switzerland still have a clear route to the last 16 mapped out if they can avoid defeat to Serbia.
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