A late goal from Casemiro was enough to seal the deal for a dominant Brazil side who have marched through to the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup without conceding a single goal in their two matches.
Tite’s men have been dominant in the FIFA World Cup so far and much of that flair was on show in their most recent meeting with Switzerland. However, for all their efforts, the Selecao just couldn’t work their way towards the goal until Casemiro popped up with a brilliant finish in the 83rd minute to make it 1-0.
Five-time world champions Brazil were without star man Neymar Jr who had suffered an ankle injury in the previous match against Serbia. The coach decided to start with Fred in midfield instead. However, the first half between the two sides was a dull affair, much like the one with Serbia in the game before, as Brazil rarely came close to threatening Switzerland’s goal.
The second half began with much more flurry and excitement and Vinicius Jr was off celebrating in the 66th minute after finding the back of the net, only to see VAR rule out the goal due to Richarlison being in an offside position in the build-up to it.
However, Brazil did have the last laugh in the match as Casemiro proved to be their saviour. Playing slick passes with Rodrygo at the edge of the box, the Manchester United midfielder found the net with a terrific outside-of-the-boot finish.
Victory against Switzerland leaves Brazil with ample opportunity to top the group as they will prepare to take on Cameroon in their final group stage fixture.
Elsewhere, Bruno Fernandes dominated headlines with a stunning show against Uruguay as Portugal won 2-0 and secured their place in the knockout stages.
The Manchester United midfielder drew first blood in the contest after sending a whipped cross into the box that turned into a shot, troubled the goalkeeper, and nestled into the net.
Cristiano Ronaldo had jumped high for it and he started celebrating the goal like he had scored despite not making contact with the ball, and FIFA later attributed the goal to Fernandes.
He then doubled his tally on the night from the penalty spot in added time after Jose Maria Gimenez was harshly judged to have handled the ball in his own box.
It was the third time at a World Cup that Portugal won two successive group-stage matches, the previous two times leading to runs into the semifinals.
