Brazil sets up second round clash with Chile

Brazil made it look easy against Cameroon in their final encounter in Group A with some sublime display of football. In a match where they just needed to draw for a qualification into the next round they won it 4-1, thanks to some woefully defending by the Africans in the first part of the match.

The match quite expectedly began with Brazil going forward with all guns blazing. It did not take much time for them to open the scoring as Neymar put them in the lead in the 17^th minute when his deft touch left the Cameroonian goalkeeper Itandje totally stranded. Cameroon made a quick recovery and they silenced the crowd inside the stadium when they equalized in the 26^th minute. Matip was the scorer and Nyom got the credit for the assist. As the thousands of Brazilian supporters began worrying regarding the woeful defending by the host nation, Neymar’s second goal in the match and fourth in the tournament gave them a breathing space. It came in the 35^th minute after a nice delivery from Luiz Gustavo found Neymar in the penalty box from where Neymar would have scored nine out of ten times. The first ended with Brazil in the lead but by just enough.

At the start of the second half Fred finally managed to get his critics off when he eventually scored in the 49^th minute of the match. He was yards off-side but the linesman did not put his flag up but Fred had nothing to complain as he needed such luck to show that he was in the team not just share the honours. Even after leading 3-1 Brazil was not assured of the top spot in the group since Mexico had taken a 3-0 lead by then. However Fernandinho’s goal in the 84^th minute released the pressure off Brazil as they finished on top of group A with better goal difference.

As per schedule Brazil will have to play against Chile in the second round, a team comprised of youth and experience and has shown a lot of promise moving into the knock out stages. It will be a tough nut to break for Brazil as they did not look as convincing as they would have liked to both in defense as well as in the midfield. Yet Brazil is undoubtedly the favourite in their first knockout game in this world cup.

• About the Author

About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.