Brazil miss Neymar in Switzerland win as tech issues cause problems

Brazil fans confident of glory at 2022 World Cup

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Brazil won 1-0 against Switzerland on Monday night to book their spot in the knockout stages of the World Cup. It was Casemiro who scored the only goal of the game in the 83rd minute, blasting home on the turn to secure all three points for his side and qualification to the next round. Express Sport takes a look at four things we learned from the showdown.

Casemiro steps up

Casemiro showed he’s the ultimate big game player by scoring for Brazil when they needed it.

The Samba giants weren’t at their swashbuckling match throughout the contest at Stadium 974, but managed to pick up all three points courtesy of a stunning goal from the Manchester United star.

When it comes to stepping up, Casemiro rarely disappoints for club and country.

He took his goal magnificently, giving Yann Sommer no chance and breaking Swiss hearts with just seven minutes of normal time left on the clock.

Casemiro is world-class, in every sense of the word, and will be key if Brazil are to add another star to their jersey this winter.

Neymar missed

Neymar has long been Brazil’s poster boy. Though he’s a divisive figure within the footballing community, there’s no denying his obvious talent.

And it was clear that Tite’s side missed their talisman, who missed the game through injury after being continuously clattered against Serbia last week, despite their victory.

Brazil opted to replace Neymar with Fred, reverting to a 4-3-3 having used a 4-2-3-1 in their opening match of the competition.

Yet Tite seemed to regret that decision and, at half time, took off Lucas Paqueta to ensure his side could play more on the front foot.

Had Brazil made that change sooner, things could have been different. The five-time winners looked far more threatening after the interval – and were able to make the breakthrough towards the end through Casemiro.

Tech not perfect during game

While Qatar have put on a fantastic World Cup show so far, there’s still been the odd technological glitch throughout the tournament.

Express Sport ourselves have been impacted by some questionable WiFi, though staff members have gone out of their way to provide assistance to ensure reporting can be as stress-free as possible.

On two occasions during the match, the lights in the stadium went out. Fortunately, it was only for a brief period and they were turned back on almost immediately.

Yet at the media centre before Portugal’s match with Uruguay, the coverage was bizarre.

When Vinicius Jr had a goal chalked off for offside, no replays were shown to those inside. Yellow card graphics would linger on the screen too long, too. Really helpful…

Brazil still worship Ronaldo

The first half of Brazil’s World Cup showdown with Switzerland wasn’t exactly a thriller. Just like how the first 45 minutes of their match with Serbia was last week.

But fans of the Samba side did get excited when Ronaldo’s face appeared on the big screen.

The former Barcelona and Real Madrid star was key when the country last won the World Cup back in 2002, with the striker scoring eight goals at the tournament that year – three more than Miroslav Klose and compatriot Rivaldo.

Ronaldo scored 62 goals from 98 appearances for his country, playing his last match for them way back in 2011.

These days he’s president of La Liga club Real Valladolid, while he also owns Brazilian side Cruzeiro as well.

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