PLAYER RATINGS: Casemiro's leadership was crucial in Neymar's absence
PLAYER RATINGS: Casemiro’s leadership was crucial in Neymar’s absence as livewire Vinicius Jr impressed again… but Akanji and Elvedi can feel hard done by after defending valiantly for the Swiss
- Casemiro netted a late half volley to help Brazil beat Switzerland 1-0 on Monday
- Brazil’s Vinicius Jr looked very lively after missing a big chance in the first half
- The forward scored in the 64th minute before seeing his goal disallowed by VAR
- Centre-half pair Manuel Akanji and Nico Elvedi also impressed for Switzerland
Casemiro scored a late thunderbolt in Neymar’s absence as Brazil beat Switzerland 1-0 to qualify for the World Cup knockouts on Monday.
With Tite’s talisman out through injury, having damaged his ankle during Brazil’s 2-0 win against Serbia in their opening fixture, the five-time world champions struggled to break down Switzerland’s pragmatic defence until Casemiro’s 83rd minute stunner.
Sportsmail has assessed each player’s performance from both Brazil and Switzerland after the match, with just one more fixture to go in Group G.
Casemiro’s superb thunderbolt earned Brazil a narrow 1-0 win against Switzerland on Monday
Manager
Tite – 6
Struggled to deal with Neymar void in attack but kept Brazil tight at the back. Substitutions were positive and helped change the game.
Goalkeeper
Alisson Becker – 5
Had little to do but nearly handed Switzerland a couple of gifts. Unusually shaky in possession.
Alisson Becker looked somewhat shaky in possession for Brazil despite keeping a clean sheet
Defenders
Eder Militao – 6
Deputised well in Danilo’s absence at right-back. Helped keep Switzerland quiet but could have offered more going forward.
Thiago Silva – 7
Had a couple of sighters at goal from set-pieces and organised Tite’s side well. Neat and tidy in defence.
Marquinhos – 7
Helped take pressure off the midfield with creativity from defence. Limited Embolo to very little throughout the game.
Alex Sandro – 7
Showed his experience and stayed switched on to stop the Swiss on the counter.
Left-back Alex Sandro kept his concentration well to stop Switzerland on the counter-attack
Midfielders
Casemiro – 8
Stepped up in the big moments to score the winner and provide the assist for Vinicius’ disallowed goal. His experience and leadership is crucial for Brazil.
Fred – 5
Offered very little in the engine room and failed to create anything meaningful. Rightly hooked off in the second-half.
Lucas Paqueta – 5
Gave a forgettable performance in the middle. Worked hard but chances could soon run out for one of Tite’s favourites.
Fred replaced injured star Neymar in midfield but failed to impress for the five-time champions
Forwards
Raphinha – 6
Put in a few decent deliveries, namely the cross that Vinicius squandered in the first half. Okay, but can do much better.
Vinicius Jr – 7
Missed big opportunities in the first half but came alive in the second. Unlucky his goal was chalked off for VAR. Brazil needed his lively and direct running.
Richarlison – 5
A shadow of the player who won Brazil the match against Serbia. Far from a disaster, but Akanji and Elvedi gave him little space up front.
Richarlison was kept quiet by the Swiss and was hooked off midway through the second half
Substitutes
Rodrygo (46′ for Paqueta) – 6
Bruno Guimaraes (59′ for Fred) – 7
Antony (73′- for Raphinha) – 6
Gabriel Jesus (73′ for Richarlison)- 6
Alex Telles (86′ for Sandro)- N/A
Antony produced a couple of positive moments after coming on for Brazil in the second half
SWITZERLAND
Manager
Murat Yakin – 6
Almost toughed out a well-earned draw. Set-up his team well defensively but offered close to nothing going forwards.
Goalkeeper
Yann Sommer – 7
Made a couple of smart saves and could do nothing about Casemiro’s thunderbolt.
Defenders
Silvan Widmer – 6
Battled bravely against Vinicius and frustrated the Brazilian for large periods. Was caught well out of position for the disallowed goal.
Right-back Silvan Widmer did well to limit the threat posed by Brazil’s star forward Vinicius Jr
Manuel Akanji – 7
Made Richarlison look fairly ordinary and had an answer for almost everything Brazil threw at him. Impressive positioning in particular.
Nico Elvedi – 7
Put in a hatful of important blocks and partnered Akanji well at the back.
Ricardo Rodriguez – 6
Had less to do defensively than Widmer as Brazil targeted Vinicius on the left. Held his own against Raphinha but looked a little hesitant in attack.
Midfielders
Remo Freuler – 6
Worked hard but his energy dropped in the second-half. Did well to frustrate Brazil in midfield.
Granit Xhaka – 6
Led Switzerland’s midfield press well and almost marshalled his side to an important point. Struggled to benefit from long spells of possession in the first half.
Granit Xhaka defended bravely in midfield but was unable to lead his team to a crucial draw
Fabian Rieder – 5
Cautioned early on and looked a little frantic in the early stages. Solid enough but he’ll feel he can show more.
Djibril Sow – 5
Produced very little creatively for the Swiss.
Ruben Vargas – 6
Seemed the only Swiss player at times looking to run in behind. Looked frustrated at a lack of support.
Forwards
Breel Embolo – 4
Endured a tough afternoon sandwiched between Marquinhos and Silva. Struggled to hold the ball up and rarely looked to stretch the defence in behind.
Breel Embolo offered very little for Switzerland in attack as Brazil kept tabs on the forward
Substitutes
Edimilson Fernandes (59′ for Vargas) – 5
Renato Steffen (59′ for Rieder) – 5
Michel Aebischer (75′ for Sow) – 5
Haris Seferovic (75′ for Embolo) – 5
Fabian Frei (86′ for Widmer) – N/A
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