Brazil’s World Cup campaign resumed with a leisurely stroll through Doha’s Souq Waqif, a symbolic calm before the storm. But while the players emerged from the marketplace with wallets and egos intact, they soon discovered that Switzerland, unlike the genial traders of Qatar, were in no mood to be charitable.
It took a
moment of sheer brilliance—an exquisite, swerving half-volley from Casemiro in
the 83rd minute—to secure Brazil’s passage into the knockout stages. Yet for
much of the contest, Tite’s side looked anything but the indomitable force
billed as pre-tournament favourites. The veneer of invincibility, polished in
their opening win, cracked under Swiss pressure, revealing the unmistakable silhouette
of a missing Neymar.
Neymar
remains a divisive figure in Brazil, both for his polarizing persona and his
politics, yet on the pitch his value is irrefutable. His absence through an
ankle injury loomed large, casting a tactical shadow that the team struggled to
escape.
In his
stead, Tite opted to push Lucas Paquetá into the attacking line, drafting in
Fred to partner Casemiro in midfield. It was a cautious reshuffle that offered
stability but lacked incision. Fred’s influence faded quickly into the margins,
and the decision only heightened the sense that Brazil’s creative gears were grinding
without their fulcrum.
“Switzerland
have the best defence,” Tite admitted post-match. “And we do miss Neymar.” His
words, restrained but telling, mirrored what had unfolded under the harsh
stadium lights.
Switzerland, under the disciplined stewardship of Murat Yakin, had their own drama before kickoff. A minor traffic accident involving the team bus and its police escort caused a delay, but if their transport faltered, their focus certainly did not. In fact, their concentration was exemplary—eerily at odds with the vehicular lapse that preceded it.
Silvan
Widmer set the tone early, brusquely halting Vinícius Júnior with the sort of
unromantic challenge that became a recurring motif. Switzerland weren’t here
for flair—they were here for friction, and they executed it with impressive
precision.
While
Brazil occasionally lit up the evening with their trademark flicks, dinks, and
one-touch flourishes, the end product was conspicuously absent. Switzerland’s
compact shape blunted each Brazilian probe, and when Casemiro caught Breel
Embolo from behind on a rare counter, he was fortunate to escape caution—an
emblem of a match where frustrations simmered but rarely boiled over.
The
Seleção’s first shot on target came nearly half an hour in, when Raphinha’s
sharp cross from the right met the half-volley of an unmarked Vinícius Júnior.
It was a tame effort, easily smothered by Yann Sommer, who had little else to
do before or after. For all of Brazil’s territorial dominance, they remained
impotent in the penalty area.
There was,
for a time, the faint spectre of déjà vu: the two teams had drawn their World
Cup encounters in both 1950 and 2018. Was history about to rhyme again?
Tite,
sensing stagnation, made key adjustments. Paquetá gave way to Rodrygo at
halftime—an attacking change that many had clamoured for in the pre-match
discourse. Almost immediately, Switzerland threatened to punish Brazil’s
inertia, but Vinícius Júnior, tracking back heroically, blocked what looked
like a certain goal from Djibril Sow.
The turning
point arrived with the introduction of Bruno Guimarães, replacing the
ineffectual Fred. The Newcastle midfielder injected urgency, clarity, and
verticality into Brazil’s play. Suddenly the yellow wave surged forward with
purpose, prodding and probing at the Swiss backline.
Finally, it
was Casemiro, the match’s quiet sentinel, who delivered the decisive blow. With
impeccable timing and technique, he met Rodrygo’s flicked lay-off and sent the
ball arcing into the far corner—a shot struck with the outside of his foot,
elegant in its violence.
It was a
goal that settled the tie but not the underlying questions. Brazil had
progressed, but the fragility exposed by Switzerland's tactical discipline was
impossible to ignore.
In Doha,
under the lights of the modular Stadium 974, Brazil were reminded that without
Neymar, their poetry needs more than rhythm—it needs punctuation.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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