Brazil lose their way after stunning Coutinho strike
If Russia is to prove the scene of an exorcism for Brazil they will have to be better than this.
A draw against Switzerland was no great calamity but this was an uneasy first examination for the Selecao on the road to what they will hope will be redemption for the 7-1 humiliation by Germany on home soil in the World Cup semifinals four years ago.
Lionel Messi endured a misstep in his opening game with Argentina against Iceland on Saturday and his former Barcelona team-mate Neymar experienced similar frustration on a night when Brazil had cause to bemoan a couple of costly decisions that went against them.
The highlight of the game was an arresting 25-yard strike from Philippe Coutinho but the main talking points centred around a push on Miranda by Steven Zuber in the build-up to his equaliser for Switzerland from a corner early in the second half that the video assistant referee should have flagged up, and the less contentious denial of a Brazil penalty in the 74th minute, when Manuel Akanji manhandled Gabriel Jesus. In truth, Brazil should not protest too loudly.
On the balance of play, a draw was just about a fair result. Tite was aggrieved Zuber’s goal was allowed to stand but his dismay extended to his team’s nervy, disjointed display as Brazil became the latest big nation to stumble.
This was the first time since 1978 that they had failed to win their opening match at a World Cup. “There was a lot of anxiety and a lot of pressure,” the Brazil coach said. “It’s a lesson for us. We have to be colder, more precise, but there’s this pressure [on us].”
Coutinho’s goal was a moment of pure theatre but Brazil’s measure of control evaporated once Switzerland scored and the tide began to turn. Brazil finished the game looking the more likely winners, with substitute Roberto Firmino having a header pushed away, Neymar directing another straight at goalkeeper Yann Sommer, Miranda firing wide and Renato Augusto snatching at a volley.
Jesus, too, felt he should have been awarded a penalty but his theatrical tumble under Akanji’s clumsy challenge probably did not help the Manchester City striker’s case.
But this was no hard luck story, even if there was a touch of good fortune to Switzerland’s goal. Some officials would have penalised Zuber for a push on Miranda and, at the very least, referee Cesar Arturo Ramos should have been alerted by the VAR but Miranda’s starting position looked suspect and even without the push Zuber might have had too much space.
“The Miranda moment was very clear,” Tite said. “It was so clear. It’s a very clear play. The penalty? Possibly, but the first one you just can’t discuss. There’s a whole system in place that is responsible for that. People are watching the game.”
Ultimately, though, Brazil only had themselves to blame. Far too many players had off nights and Switzerland, and the uncompromising Valon Behrami especially, did a number on Neymar.
The Brazil No 10 was the victim of 10 fouls, more than any player at a World Cup since Alan Shearer at France ’98, but he was also guilty of going down far too easily on occasion. By the end, he was hobbling, albeit through no fault of the Swiss.
He had whacked the right foot he fractured in February into Stephan Lichtsteiner on the follow-through from a shot which hit the side-netting. The pressure on Neymar to deliver at this World Cup is unremitting but he is not afraid to draw attention to himself, either through his theatrics or appearance.
His latest alternative haircut looked like a nod to Alannah Currie from the Thompson Twins, the 80s British pop band, but, like Brazil in general, he will have to offer more than this. There was a fine pass to Coutinho in the 69th minute that the Barcelona player took beautifully on his chest, pushing the ball inside Lichtsteiner to create the space to shoot, only to shank his shot wide.
There had, of course, been no misjudgement for the goal. It was just the shot of Jogo Bonito that gets Brazilian juices flowing, the frustration being that it would prove an isolated moment of inspiration. Zuber would have been better directing his clearing header from Neymar’s corner almost anywhere but the feet of Coutinho.
The former Liverpool playmaker had only one thing in mind when the ball hurtled towards him, controlling it with effortless ease before bending home his shot off the inside of the far post. And that, basically, was as good as it got for Brazil against a Switzerland side who grew visibly in confidence after their goal and who had soon resolved that their illustrious opponents could be intimidated.
Marcelo, captain here, was the only survivor from the team that had started against Germany in Belo Horizonte but, whether that game was playing on too many minds, there was a curious inhibition to much of Brazil’s football.
Coutinho looked dangerous at times in a deeper midfield role but even he began to fade as the game went on and Switzerland grew in confidence.
Costa Rica in St Petersburg on Friday is the next stop for Brazil and it will not be unreasonable to expect a lot more.