Brazil v Ecuador, 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers - Brilliant start for Tite's Brazil

Brazil have been winless away from home in the World cup qualifiers since 2009. The last time they tested a victory was against the arch rivals Argentina, where they crushed Messi’s team in front of the coach Diego Maradona. Since then, Brazil have not been the same team. There were flashes of supremacy, but sadly, the consistency was not there. And after Carlos Dunga’s appointment as the coach for the second time, Brazil completely lost their way.

Thankfully, Tite took over and his first stint as coach was a tough one. It was in a venue where Brazil suffered due to the high altitude and remained winless for the last 33 years. Moreover, Ecuador are unbeaten in 11 qualifying matches on home soil, dating back to a 2-1 defeat to Uruguay in October 2009.

There were people who wanted Tite to lose, but one thing they forgot, Tite is a master of transforming a team into world beaters.

At Quito, those who watched the game last night, could realize, what sort of Brazil we will watch in the upcoming days.

Brazil made their presence felt within five minutes. Gabriel Jesus was provided with a delicate ball from Neymar and the Ecuador defence were left clueless by the pace of Jesus who failed to convert it into a goal. Ecuador maintained their composure and kept Brazil at bay, but Brazil’s rhythm was hardly disturbed. The striking point was, the Selecao didn’t suffer much due to the high altitude.

Brazil picked up their momentum in the second half. It was all about compactness and composure rather than aggressive football. There were eye-catching moments and yes, one could notice the traditional Jogo Bonito as well, but it was not in plenty as I think, Tite didn’t want to leave enough space against an opponent, who are quite well-equipped to utilize the spaces in the counterattack.

The players who really lifted up Brazil in the second half were Marquinhos, Casemiro, Renato Augusto, Neymar and Gabriel Jesus.

Marquinhos was brilliant in the air and won tackles while Casemiro played the role of a sheet anchor as the lone defensive midfielder in a 4-1-4-1 formation. Then in the midfield, Renato motored the game to inject stability and ensured Neymar and Jesus to move forward with confidence. Even though, I don’t think Neymar played purely as a forward nor was he engaged more in the left, but he was seen to drop down deep to control the game along with Renato and others.

A Neymar strike from the penalty spot broke the deadlock and then it was time for Gabriel Jesus to take over. He scored two goals in his debut international match, a feat which Pele, Ronaldo and Romario could not achieve. His two goals were stunning and boy, this kid is destined for greatness.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar