Brazil 2-0 Croatia
After more than three months out, Neymar returned from injury and scored a spectacular opening goal to spark Brazil to a 2-0 friendly win over a feisty Croatia side.
Welcome back.
Looking at the Brazil vs Croatia highlights would show that the match was far from a classic. Heck, it wasn’t even close to a friendly after three yellow cards were handed in the first half.
However, while international friendly results hold little to no bearing, this game at Anfield is something that the Brazilians would be happy about. After all, they didn’t only get a beautiful and morale-boosting victory ten days before the World Cup, but they also got their star man back at full strength.
Highlights of the game
It took less than 25 minutes for Neymar to make his impact. After coming in as a second-half substitute, replacing Fernandinho, the Paris Saint-Germain star quickly made his presence felt and broke the deadlock for the Brazilians.
The 26-year-old Neymar took a pass from Philippe Coutinho and cut inside the penalty area in the 69th minute. He showed clever and sharp movements to create space before smashing a shot in off the underside of the crossbar.
Neymar’s goal—which showed his otherworldly talent—highlighted the obvious: Brazil need him in their quest for World Cup 2018 glory.
In the first half of the game, Croatia dominated and were the more aggressive side. Their high-tempo and physical style created early chances for Dejan Lovren and Andrej Kramaric, though to no avail.
Lovren came close to scoring as early as the 12th minute, but his header from a corner went a little wide off the near post. Three minutes later, Kramaric had a decent opportunity when Brazil lost possession in Croatia’s attacking area; however, his shot from 25 yards out was easily saved by Alisson.
Meanwhile, in the second half, Croatia forward Ante Rebic threatened Brazil with a fine downward header off a Kramaric assist, but Alisson deflected his effort once again.
The introduction of Neymar gave the Brazilians a sense of urgency on the offensive end, and it paid off big time when the star striker produced his moment of magic to give them the lead.
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Liverpool star Roberto Firmino, who replaced skipper Gabriel Jesus at the hour, gave the Merseyside crowd an extra treat as he struck in the dying seconds to cap a superb display from Brazil.
After the friendly, Brazil boss Tite expressed his surprise to Neymar’s performance and admitted that he didn’t expect his star to produce such performance, especially in his first official match since returning from the metatarsal injury he suffered last February.
“For the first match back I actually expected less from him. I would have been happy with a quieter performance,” Tite said. “What he did was really extraordinary. Neymar is an extraordinary individual talent but the goal he scored came from a move, a build-up, involving the whole team.”
“He’s aware of what they bring to him.”
Key statistics
Despite dominating possession (62 percent), Brazil weren’t able to find their groove until Neymar came in the second half. Neymar has now scored 54 goals for Brazil in just his 84th appearance.
It’s also worth noting that Firmino has already 15 goals at Anfield for club and country since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, a remarkable feat for a player who is making a case for a spot in Brazil’s Starting XI.
Croatia, for their part, displayed a tough and organised football, using the ball effectively to break down defences and to find opportunities in the counter. Their physicality was clearly shown in the three yellow cards they received throughout the match—two of which came in the first half.
Kramaric got the first yellow when he caught Thiago Silva with a high foot, while Ivan Perisic got booked for a challenge on Jesus late in the opening frame.
What’s next?
Brazil have an upcoming friendly against Austria, which should be a good test especially with the Austrians coming off a 2-1 win over Germany. They are also riding a seven-game winning streak, which means the Brazilians will be facing a team high in confidence.
The Selecao then head to Russia where World Cup betting odds back them to get the top spot in Group E against Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia.
Meanwhile, Croatia will play Senegal—another World Cup-bound team—before the FIFA 2018 group stage. And certainly, they will be looking for a positive result this time around as they gear up for a difficult Group D that features Argentina, Iceland and Nigeria.
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