Brazil booked their place in the last 16 as they overcame a resolute
Switzerland side courtesy of a late winner from Manchester United
midfielder Casemiro in their second group H outing.
Both sides came into the game with three points, courtesy of wins
over Serbia and Cameroon respectively, and knew that after those two
sides shared the spoils earlier in the day that a win would take either
side through, but that a draw would leave both in a strong position
too.
And it seemed that, for the Swiss, that was the goal, while Tite’s
decision to replace the injured Neymar with Fred also suggested a
more conservative approach.
In Neymar’s absence, it was Vinicius jr that harboured most of the
hopes of his nation, and the Real Madrid man went close in the first
half before seeing an opening goal ruled out for an offside in the
build-up on the part of Richarlison.
The game seemed to be heading for a stalemate, however, until a
piece of brilliance from Manchester United man Casemiro broke the
deadlock late on, the midfielder crashing home a thundering volley
with ten minutes to play and snatching all three points, confirming
Brazil’s qualification in the process.
It means that Switzerland will need to avoid defeat to Serbia to have a
chance of qualifying for the last 16, though should Cameroon beat
Brazil they would need to win or risk it coming down to goal
difference.