International Friendlies: Brazil vs Croatia, 5 Talking Points

#4 Vrsaljko put in a great shift in the right wingback position

Vrsjalko packed a punch in Croatian defense

Sime Vrsaljko often finds himself shrouded by the presence of more stellar names in front of him. But his performance today shone through.

The Atletico Madrid fullback was pumped up for the Brazil challenge and did prove to be a hard nut to crack. He made vital interceptions down the flank, especially those coming from Marcelo, who found it difficult going against him today.

Vrsaljko also burst into a few crucial tackles, none more so than the one when he dispossessed his Atletico teammate Felipe Luis with a well-timed sliding challenge when the Brazilian was about to pick out someone inside the box.

The only occasion when he was beaten was when Neymar expertly shimmied past him in a blur to open the scoring. But it does little to smother the contentment that he would’ve felt with his performance today.