Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
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But Samba Boys VAR from happy after Zuber salvages point
challenge on Jesus, but Switzerland’s stoic display was worthy of a point.
Compact and disciplined despite the shock of Coutinho’s fabulous goal, they stayed alert right to the end – but again needed Lady Luck.
As the game ticked into stoppage time Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino, the last of Brazil’s substitutions, headed Neymar’s free-kick goalwards but straight at keeper Yann Sommer.
Seconds later Miranda was inches away with a shot through a crowd of legs and Brazil’s chance of victory was gone.
They say it is not a World Cup until Brazil play. Coutinho looked like he had proved the saying right, kick-starting the Samba Boys on the road to redemption with the goal of the tournament so far.
Humiliated at their own World Cup when demolished 7-1 by Germany in the semifinals, Brazil have been brooding for four long years.
But with one swish of his right boot Coutinho brought the biggest smile back to his nation with a curling strike of stunning quality.
There seemed little danger when he picked up the ball 20 minutes into this Group E clash, but he unleashed an outrageous right-foot shot that started outside the post before bending in to give Sommer no chance.
Cue bedlam from Brazilian fans used to jaw-dropping goals from their team.
Coutinho has not quite taken Barcelona by storm following his move from Anfield in January, but this was a goal befitting his eye-watering £146million price tag. And after Cristiano Ronaldo’s heroics for Portugal against Spain, Coutinho seemed to be taunting his Real Madrid rival with an ‘anything you can do I can match’ swagger.
The smart money would have been on Brazil to kick on even though Neymar was nowhere near his best. They did not, and paid the price.
The equaliser came from a pinpoint corner by Stoke’s Xherdan Shaqiri, with an unmarked Zuber powerfully heading home from close range.