Brazil masterclass for Serbia
Richarlison scores two goals including an acrobatic effort as Brazil romp home 2-0 in FIFA World Cup
LUSAIL (QATAR): Brazil outclassed Serbia 2-0 in their World Cup opener on Thursday as Richarlison’s second-half goals, including a spectacular overhead kick, propelled the five-times champions to the top of Group G.
The Tottenham Hotspur forward has been in fine form when wearing the golden yellow kit of Brazil this year and he opened the scoring with an easy tap-in before doubling the lead with his acrobatic effort.
It was his ninth goal for Brazil in seven games in 2022 as Brazil leapfrogged Switzerland, who are second in the group after they beat Cameroon 1-0. Serbia are bottom.
Tite’s decision to go with four forwards - Neymar, Vinicius Jr., Raphinha and Richarlison - in his attacking lineup paid off handsomely as the South Americans dominated the match and made Serbia work hard every time they went forward.
Vinicius used his flair and acceleration to good effect to constantly beat his man while Neymar, playing in a free role, often found pockets of space, but a well-drilled Serbian defence kept Brazil at bay in the first half.
Brazil’s best chance of the half, however, came when Neymar tried to catch goalkeeper Milinkovic-Savic off guard from a corner, whipping in an inswinger that was on target before the Torino player punched it clear.
Serbia had been sweating over the fitness of their all-time top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic but coach Dragan Stojkovic named him in the starting lineup.
Unlike Brazil’s forward line, however, which threatened from all sides, the Fulham striker found himself isolated up front with little service as skipper and playmaker Dusan Tadic struggled to influence proceedings.
The second half was one-way traffic as Brazil shifted through the gears, Richarlison and Neymar wasting gilt-edged chances inside the box and Alex Sandro and Casemiro sending longrange efforts against the woodwork.
The breakthrough came just after the hour from brilliant work by Neymar to find Vinicius, whose initial shot was saved by Vanja MilinkovicSavic, but Richarlison was in the right place to tap in the rebound for his first World Cup goal.
Serbia had been playing conservatively up to that point and had no choice but to pour forward, which gave Brazil more space and the second goal from Richarlison brought the biggest roar of the night from the Brazilian
contingent.
As Richarlison attempted to control a cross from Vinicius, the ball popped up over his head and he leapt up in the air to volley home a bicycle kick and seal the win for Brazil.
An almost perfect night for Brazil was, however, soured when Neymar came off in the 80th minute with what looked like an ankle injury after a crunching tackle from Nikola Milenkovic.
It was the same right foot Neymar has had problems with before and the Paris St Germain forward sat on the bench with his face covered while he received treatment as Brazil saw out the match.
Neymar injured
Neymar underwent tests and was receiving treatment at the team’s hotel Friday The team did not give any detail on the extent of his injury.
Neymar was in tears while sitting on the bench and after the match limped off the field on his way to the locker room.
“Difficult game, but it was important to win,” Neymar said on his social media accounts not long after he left Lusail Stadium without talking to the media. “Congratulations team, first step taken. Six more to go.”
In an Instagram story after the match, Neymar posted a text that mentioned the need to “have faith.”
“It’s about believing that everything will be OK despite the chaos. It’s the certainty that the best is yet to come. It’s understanding that everything has its own timing,” the text said.
Brazil coach Tite had already expressed optimism about Neymar’s condition.
“You can be sure that Neymar will still play in this World Cup,” he said after the match. “I’m certain about that.”
Team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said after the game it was too early to know the extent of the injury. He said they started treating the injury the moment Neymar left the field, and continued after the match.
Neymar had already been tackled many times before during the match, and was seen grimacing and limping a few other occasions. He was fouled nine times, the most of all World Cup players after the first round of matches in the group stage.
“We’ll remain upbeat, it’s the characteristic of this team,” Brazil goalkeeper Alisson said. “These adverse circumstances will only make the group stronger.”
Brazil’s next match is Monday against Switzerland. The five-time world champions end their group-stage campaign against Cameroon on Dec. 2. Brazil leads Group G along with Switzerland, which opened with a win against Cameroon.
The 30-year-old Neymar was also hurt at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, when his tournament ended with a back injury in the quarterfinals against Colombia. He had to be taken off the field on a stretcher, and Brazil lost to Germany 7-1 in the semi-finals.