Selecao settle nerves against Haiti but bigger tests loom; Ancelotti may have to reshuffle after Raphinha blow
Bittersweet. That’s how a Brazil fan might have felt in the early hours of Saturday. It was still Friday night in Philadelphia when the Samba Boys eased some of the growing pressure on them with their first win of the World Cup — a reasonably comfortable 3-0 stroll against unfancied Haiti. They will
By Dwaipayan Datta
Bittersweet.
That’s how a Brazil fan might have felt in the early hours of Saturday.
It was still Friday night in Philadelphia when the Samba Boys eased some of the growing pressure on them with their first win of the World Cup — a reasonably comfortable 3-0 stroll against unfancied Haiti.
They will still need to beat Scotland in midweek and hope Morocco do not build a better goal difference if they are to be sure of finishing top of Group C.But this isn’t the Brazil of yore — one spoilt for choice in almost every position, especially in the attacking half.
A team working with relatively thin resources would have had reason to worry when Raphinha limped off midway through the first half with a hamstring problem.
Even if it is not a tear — the Barcelona star’s condition is still being evaluated — it seems unlikely that the five-time champions will be able to avail of his services before the quarterfinals, provided they go that far.Raphinha’s partnership with Vinicius Junior, one of the chief protagonists of Saturday’s victory, was slowly taking shape when the blow came.
Raphinha’s ability to spot space in tight corners and release Vini for his marauding runs would surely have been one of Carlo Ancelotti’s major weapons going into the World Cup.
With that plan stalled for now, the Italian may have to reshuffle his pieces.Bournemouth’s Rayan came on for Raphinha and did a decent job, but Ancelotti will hope that the recuperating Neymar is fit before Brazil face Scotland.
According to the Italian, the 34-year-old will do some individual training over the weekend and rejoin the squad on Monday.While that will bring some relief to Selecao supporters, the true bright spots were the form of Vini and striker Matheus Cunha.
Real Madrid winger Vinicius, who scored against Morocco in Brazil’s opener, found the net again against Haiti and had a hand in all three goals.
The 25-year-old has kept a low profile and has so far avoided unnecessary controversy.
Clearly, there is an Ancelotti hand — extending from their Real Madrid days — keeping him in check.However, bigger tests await.
Against more organised opposition, with stronger defenders prepared to test him physically and otherwise, it will be interesting to see how the temperamental Brazilian reacts.
Cunha, meanwhile, brought a sense of calm to the proceedings with an opportunistic strike in the 23rd minute.
For a No. 9, it is vital to be in the right place at the right time and the Manchester United player showed he can be a good fit.
His second goal, a thumping left-footer after being released by Vini inside the box, gave Brazil the insurance they badly needed.
Vini added the third in first-half stoppage time to put the game completely beyond Haiti.
Crucially, it also allowed Brazil to play in a lower gear thereafter, with the aim of keeping themselves fresh for the battles ahead.Brazil’s midfield of Bruno Guimaraes, Casemiro and Lucas Paqueta had a fairly comfortable night.
The defence, too, was not tested much.
Gabriel’s goalline clearance with a bicycle kick in the second half suggested that the Arsenal man may have overcome the disappointment of missing the final penalty in the Champions League final against PSG.
After last week’s opening draw against Morocco, Brazil’s journey in this World Cup has begun somewhat like that of a title aspirant at a tennis Grand Slam.
They have the burden of winning seven games in a row, and World No. 83 Haiti were just the kind of early-round opponent they would have hoped for.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates.
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