Brazil has been an international powerhouse in football for decades. The country has won the World Cup an astonishing five times, with the last victory attained in 2002. The Brazilian national team, known as ‘The Selecao,’ is now looking to make history by becoming the first nation to win the tournament six times. The team is determined to mission Hexa and bring the trophy back to Brazil. Brazil’s FIFA World Cup 2022 team has been reinforced by some of the world’s best players and will be looking to reclaim their place atop the world of football.
Now the question is, can Brazil win the World Cup for the sixth time?
Brazil’s World Cup 2022 performance so far
Brazil’s group stage performance was not satisfactory for the fans as they lost the last group stage match against Cameroon. However, it was unexpected as the lineup contained the expensive and best young players of the team. But, whether it was a win or loss, that match for Brazil was about checking their bench strength.
With the last sixteen already confirmed, some players needed a rest as well. All in all, Tite has walked the path of change in the starting eleven. Nine changes from the previous match. 39-year-old Dani Alves led the field with the youngest attack in 6 decades.
So, apparently, Brazil was not bothered with that match, which we have understood in the round of 16 games against South Korea. The 4-1 victory over South Korea proved their excellency and showed that Brazil is one of the top contenders for the World Cup 2022. In their other two matches against Serbia and Switzerland, Brazil got the easy win.
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With their massive success against South Korea, Brazilian footballers are sending a message to the world that they are serious about reclaiming their place in the global football landscape.
Brazil’s road to final, will it be smooth?
The Seleçao Canarinho are only two matches away from the final. They will face Croatia in the quarter-finals. Overall, both teams faced each other four times, Brazil won 3 matches, and 1 match was drawn. The two countries have met twice in World Cup. This will be the third time. Selecao left the field with 100% victory in the previous two times. Although Brazil is ahead in terms of statistics and power, one incident after another has made this World Cup exciting.
Croatia defeated Japan in a tiebreaker in the other pre-quarterfinal on Monday. Japan went ahead by scoring first. Croatia leveled the score in the second half. As the result of the game was 1-1 at the scheduled time, the match went to extra time. There was no goal either. Finally, Croatia reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup after defeating Japan in a tiebreaker. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic saved Japan’s three penalties in the tiebreaker. So, it seems finding a gap in Livakovic’s goalpost will be a bit difficult for Brazil.
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However, Brazil has a world-class team this year, and Neymar is back from injury. This is the biggest strength for Brazil. But Brazil can do well without Neymar too. They have Richarlison, Casemiro and Vinícius Júnior.
So, Brazil has a great chance of winning the quarter-final. After that, they will face either Argentina or Netherlands in the semifinal. And considering the performance of these two teams in the Qatar World Cup, Brazil will be ahead too.
Which Brazilian players may shine in the next rounds?
While Brazil has a strong defense, the midfield and attacking are also incredible. However, goal scorers are the one who takes the team to the next round. And as per the performance, Richarlison, Casemiro, and Vinícius Júnior are at the peak of their career for the national team. And obviously, Neymar is there too.
Neymar
Injuries and Neymar are like two sides of a coin. The depth of their relationship is really evident on the World Cup stage. The Brazilian star striker left the field at the end of the match with an ankle injury during the match against Serbia and missed the group stage. Neymar is back in the team and scored his first goal at Qatar World Cup. He had a player rating of 8 in that match. Apparently, Neymar will be a performance booster for the team in the next matches.
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Richarlison
He already scored three goals in this World Cup, with a double goal in the first match against Serbia. While Neymar was playing his regular game against Serbia, Richarlison stole the limelight with a pair of goals. Especially the crowd-pleasing aesthetic bicycling shot goal sticks like magic in the eyes of football lovers. His rating was 9 in that match.
Richarlison’s goal against South Korea was also eye-soothing. While he was surrounded by the defenders, Richarlison danced the ball four times on his head. After that, he beat two defenders and scored. So, he will be a trump card for Brazil in upcoming matches.
Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Jr. has been shining under Zinedine Zidane in Real Madrid. But he couldn’t score. Italy’s legendary coach, Carlo Ancelotti, returned to Real Madrid’s dugout and changed Vini’s playing style. Now he has become one of the key players for Brazil at the Qatar World Cup. He was one of the top players against Serbia and Switzerland in the group stage. But missed the goal. He got a goal against South Korea. However, he also got several chances in that match. Vini’s rating was 9 against South Korea.
Vini was in great form at Real Madrid. Played an outstanding role in winning La Liga Champions League. Then Brazil coach Tite talked to Carlo Ancelotti about Vinicius. How was he playing Vini? What was the strategy so that he gets the same Vini in the Brazil jersey. And it seems it worked out perfectly!
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Final words
Brazil has won the World Cup five times, the most of any country. Still, the team that did not win the World Cup in 1982 is regarded as the best team in Brazil. However, experts think the 2022 World Cup team is almost equivalent to 1982’s team, and they are proving it too. The whole team is in great form, and there are a bunch of energetic players available on the bench too. So, apparently, Brazil seems to be unstoppable and has a great possibility to complete their mission Hexa in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Source: United News of Bangladesh