Amid all the talk of pressure on Brazil going into this game,
Marcelo's own goal represented a fairly disastrous start. But Neymar's
equaliser before half time settled some of the nerves and sparked a
second-half turnaround.
Croatia are entitled to be furious with the penalty awarded against
Dejan Lovren for a supposed tug on the shirt of Fred, although Oscar
added some gloss to the scoreline with a late strike that was no more
than he personally deserved.
While the performances of Oscar and
Neymar offer plenty of encouragement that Brazil can justify their
status as World Cup favourites, there was evidence of weakness
elsewhere. Adam Bate takes us through the efforts of Luiz Felipe
Scolari's starting line-up...
Julio Cesar
Frozen out by Queens Park Rangers, Julio Cesar’s club football has
been played in Toronto this past season and at times it showed. That was
hardly the perfect warm-up but the goalkeeper certainly got himself
into the mood during the anthems as the tears streamed from this eyes.
There was little Cesar could do with the goal but he was fortunate that
the referee blew for a foul after he fumbled under a challenge from
Ivica Olic and he also looked unconvincing in dealing with a couple of
long shots. One to keep an eye on.
Dani Alves
One early forward run got the crowd animated but it’s at the other
end that Dani Alves remains a concern. He was way up the field for the
Croatia goal and even when in position he found himself caught in
possession by Olic then lazily allowing Sime Vrsaljko to get in a cross.
There were miscontrols when well-placed and the decision to shoot
rather than put Oscar clean through on goal was lamentable. But Alves is
a player of supreme confidence and he never stopped wanting to provide
that vital outlet on the right. He can surely improve on this display.
Thiago Silva
Although some detected a slipping of standards for Paris St Germain
in 2013/14, Thiago Silva has deservedly retained his status as perhaps
the greatest centre-back in the world. He was a little slow to get out
to the ball for Croatia’s opener but managed to keep a semblance of calm
to proceedings with his quality use of the ball over both long and
short distances. His defending was largely assured and he helped his
team get through a highly-pressured experience.
David Luiz
David Luiz cut an overtly aggressive figure during the anthems and an
early tackle of real intent emphasises just how pumped up the defender
was. He even followed up with the first effort on target of the World
Cup. However, those familiar positional issues remain and he was
culpable in allowing Nikica Jelavic to get in front of him for the goal.
There were further fun and games at both ends as he denied Neymar his
hat-trick in intercepting an Oscar cross before indulging in a risky
tackle on Ivan Perisic inside his own area. Always on the front foot,
the line between hero and villain continued to feel paper thin.
Marcelo
Given the oft-discussed weight of expectation on Brazil going into
this match, it’s difficult to conceive the emotions that must envelop a
player unlucky enough to silence the Sao Paulo crowd with an own goal.
As it turned out, Marcelo responded admirably by continuing to play
positively and getting forward well. He almost put Oscar away down the
left channel after good work but was denied by a dubious offside call
and looks capable of being a dangerous outlet at this World Cup.
Luiz Gustavo
Luiz Gustavo played an important role for his team, operating in a
very deep position between his centre-backs. The Wolfsburg man’s simple
use of the ball with his left foot rarely catches the eye but his
retention of it was impeccable and it was not until after the break that
he surrendered possession for the first time. Nobody made as many
interceptions – five - and his late booking for a foul on Luka Modric as
Croatia’s star man looked to break typified his role in the side.
Paulinho
Paulinho’s role in this Brazil team is to keep things tidy alongside
Luiz Gustavo and then break forward into the box with his trademark late
runs to provide an additional attacking option. The Tottenham
midfielder gave glimpses of this ability to find space. He saw an early
shot blocked and then forced a save from Stipe Pletikosa with a
well-struck first half shot after receiving an Oscar pass in impressive
fashion. He was withdrawn in favour of Hernanes just after the hour
mark.
Hulk
Characteristic for his ability to cut in from the right flank onto
his fierce left foot, Luiz Felipe Scolari sprang a surprise by using
Hulk on the left. Perhaps he didn’t want to see too much of that
ambitious shooting and in that respect it sort of worked – just the two
shots blazed over. Hulk battled away and showed his endeavour with one
defensive tackle but in truth he struggled to get into the game, looking
a little one-dimensional on the left. He was withdrawn in favour of
Bernard with the scores level midway through the second half.
Oscar
Initially tentative in his right-wing role, Oscar grew into the game
in emphatic fashion. A series of teasing crosses seemed to raise his
spirits before a beautifully struck left-footed effort tested Pletikosa.
His involvement in all three Brazil goals summed up his all-round
brilliance. There was guts to force the ball through to Neymar for the
first, a drilled pass to Fred to win the penalty for the second before a
driving run and improvised finish for the third. Neymar can expect the
headlines but Oscar produced the best performance of the night.
Neymar
It isn’t worth imagining the feeling of deflation in Brazil had
Neymar’s ankle injury in the warm-up robbed us of his presence. The home
hero’s every touch was cheered and he responded by taking a level of
responsibility that belied his age. Always wanting the ball, he looked
the man most likely to make things happen and achieved just that with
the left-footed equaliser from distance when he came deep to collect the
ball and drove at the defence. He’d been booked for connecting with
Modric’s face just prior to that and his penalty might have been saved
too, but the script was with Neymar and the expectations only get bigger
after this display.
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