In the World Cup round of 16, Brazil defeated South Korea by a score of 4-1. 1:45 Richarlison's goal and Brazil's third inspired Tite to dance. The sight of the 61-year-old manager joining in the celebrations should be cause for concern for the rest of the teams. A statement to the rest of the tournament can be found in Brazil's demolition of South Korea. The first 45 minutes of the game were a blur of brilliant yellow and blue as they dismantled the opposition. As Brazil went into the break with a four goal lead, he had the match on a piece of string. Tite calls it offensive boldness. It was as close to a complete half as you can get. The third goal was scored by Richarlison. After a South Korea clearance fell in his direction, he bounced the ball three times on his head and laid it off to Marquinhos. He played a short pass to Thiago Silva on the edge of the box, who responded with a ball into Richarlison's path, and he finished the move off. Features and previews of the World Cup.
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Brazil was playing as a crystalized entity. The understanding and trust was complete for those 45 minutes. It went all the way to the point where Casemiro was going to take a second-half free kick with the attacker already locked in his set piece process, but he had to remove a flying interloper from his face.
We have been waiting for this for a long time. Brazil has been on a journey of differing emotions in the Middle East. The 2-0 start against Serbia was ruined by the loss of two key players. The victory over Switzerland was weighed against the injury to Alex Sandro. Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus both lost in the tournament finale. The performance of Casemiro against Switzerland and the relentlessness of Vinicius Junior and Richarlison against Serbia were overshadowed by the concern of another competition moving on without the Selecao.
They lacked a spark in the middle of the pitch. Lucas Paqueta couldn't fill it against Serbia, but Rodrygo did a better job off the bench. Rodrygo couldn't get a hold of the game against a changed line up. Despite his brilliance on the ball, he brings order to this team. Tite says the Brazilian has technical leadership skills. Neymar makes the difference on the pitch, according to Brazil's assistant coach.
It wouldn't be a World Cup without a hiccup for Brazil's star player. He watched as Brazil lost to Germany in the semifinals. He tried to play through an ankle injury in the tournament. It was the ankle knock against Serbia that caused the painful memories to come back. Maybe out of that misfortune, the Brazilians will win the World Cup.
He was the glue of the game against South Korea. Brazil's ability to switch between formations is enough to give the opposition motion sickness, but whatever the system, he found a way to influence things.
After the match, he said he was very content with his performance. I cannot be completely satisfied with the performance today. Our team needs to grow.
This was Paqueta's best game of the tournament so far and his finish for Brazil's fourth was testament to his confidence. Richarlison was great. Raphinha assisted Vinicius in taking the opener. South Korea's efforts were largely from distance because of the makeshift back four of Eder Militao at right-back and Danilo on the left flank. Casemiro was the man who was in charge of the game's heartbeat.
The importance of the collective has been mentioned many times by Brazil. While it is classic sports-speak, when you see a player celebrate his goal by running into the stands to hug the injured Alex Telles, and then Weverton comes on for the final 10 minutes for Alisson, the third-choice keeper was the only one.
If the whole Brazilian tower comes crashing down before the final, 45 minutes in the stadium of assembled shipping containers won't mean anything. They were pulled apart at the back in the second half by South Korea. A Brazilian player is held to the same standards as any other player in the world.
There are reminders of expectation when you play for Brazil. The class of 1998 and 2002 were the class of Rivaldo, Cafu, Roberto Carlos and others. The fifth star was won by them in 2002.
The nation is thinking about the ill Pele. Early in the second half, the supporters behind the South Korea goal showed their support for the team by making a gesture. The players displayed a banner with their name on it. Success and failure are evaluated against the legacies of previous greats who wore the shirt.
The first half was when they filled the shirt rather than just wearing it. You felt that the catalyst for it all was the return of the Brazilian player. It was the line-up Brazil fans have been calling for, and for those 11 on the pitch, the occasion and the returning personnel meant for 45 minutes they danced and pulled apart what could have been a difficult opponent. He said that they have a dance language.
The first-half performance has set the standard for the rest of the country. There are no get out clauses for this group. After watching Brazil get that sixth star on their jersey against South Korea, anything less than that would be considered a failure. Tite knows. He said that if you lose balance, it can be fatal.
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