Brazil need to step up their game to reach the later stages of the World Cup

Neymar scored twice against Croatia in Brazil’s 3-1 win

The opening game of the World Cup was expected to be an easy fixture for the hosts Brazil against Croatia. The 3-1 scoreline suggests a comfortable victory for the Selecao. However, the scoreline does not reflect what happened on the pitch. Individual brilliance by the likes of Neymar and Oscar and some debatable refereeing decisions were responsible for the scoreline.

Brazil had the lion’s share of the ball, but they lacked the fluidity and penetration for long parts of the game. Brazil were harassed by Croatia’s pressing in the game. It took a moment of individual brilliance by Oscar to create an opportunity for Neymar, which the Brazilian shot with precision. Brazil didn’t create a lot of clear cut chances in the first half.

The second half saw Croatia being quite steady in defence but their passing in the final third let them down. The midfield of Croatia looked in control in the second half. The Brazilian midfield duo of Gustavo and Paulinho could not match up to the likes of Modric and Rakitic. The controversial decision to award the penalty to Brazil turned the game on its head. Croatia were in control of the situation before the penalty and were comfortable. After the penalty incident, they found it difficult to take the game to Brazil. A debatable decision by the referee to disallow a goal helped Brazil’s cause. Croatia did create a few chances but eventually they were found wanting on the counter attack.

Other than penalty incident, Brazil did not threaten a lot. Fred and Hulk were very poor in the game. Neymar looked quite lively in the game, but he did not have enough support for him other than Oscar. Brazil’s midfield were unable to cope with Croatia’s counter attack during the game. A game against a stronger midfield which has both the strength and the creativity can expose Brazil’s midfield.

Brazil’s biggest worry was its defence. Croatia were quite poor in their final passes. Despite Croatia’s poor attack, Brazil’s defence did not look composed. It was all over the place during certain parts of the game. The biggest weakness was their approach towards crossing. The first goal for Croatia came from a dangerous cross from the left which was not dealt with properly.

In the second half, the disallowed goal also came from a cross from the left hand side. The contact on the goalkeeper was deemed to be a foul, but in the replays it seemed a debatable decision. Brazil were unable to deal with crosses. Brazil will come up against teams which would be direct as well as teams who can create chances through intricate moves. The defence would need to be more organised and also require the strength and the energy from the midfield to support it.

As the tournament progresses, Brazil are likely to come up against teams who will be competent in all departments of the game. Brazil have the advantage of having the home crowd cheering for them and being more acclimatized to the weather being the hosts. However they need to improve on their midfield and shaky defence. Relying on individual brilliance alone will not help them against stronger oppositions.They have started with a great result but it will take a lot of effort on the training ground to take them through to the later stages of the tournament.