Brazil won on Sunday the first of his two friendlies. Before Austria next Sunday, the Seleçao challenge Croatia in the stadium of Anfield, Liverpool. It was in particular the opportunity to review finally Neymar on a football field. As said the coach in a press conference, the star of the PSG began on the bench, leaving Willian, Coutinho and Gabriel Jesus the animation offensive. Thiago Silva was the proprietor in defence alongside Danilo, Miranda and Marcelo. Croatia evolved it into 4-2-3-1 with Rakitic in the midfield and Modric in support of Kramaric. This meeting was a foretaste of the World Cup.
The game started slowly. The pace was not up to the crowds. What are the Croats who obtained the first situations, including the head of Lovren which fizzed past the post (13th). An exchange between Thiago Silva and Miranda benefited Perisic, which forced Allison to dive to his left. Many contacts slow down the game as this tackle of Kramaric on Thiago Silva (14th), or the fault of Paulinho (20th). Coutinho responded to a strike that ended his run in the tribune (22nd). This meeting was really struggling to start in spite of this beautiful sun.
The fiery return of Neymar
Before the break, the contacts and cartons other which made the show even more poor. Ante Rebic and Vida were crumbling in their turn, after the blows received. It was time that the break happens. Because at the back of the locker room, Neymar was making his entrance in place of joão fernandinho beach. In a first time, we didn’t see him much even if on his first ball, he managed to escape in a series of dribbling between two players. His entry was still good. Shot from Marcelo was not very far (52e) when the player of PSG was the gloves Subasic (57th), the first framed for the Seleçao.
After this little taster, the number 10 was attracting all the light on him. Left side to the edge of the area, he received the ball, set his defender, crochetait another before you send a huge strike under the bar (1-0, 69th). Neymar could not have dreamt of a better return to the competition, more than three months after his injury. Led to the score, the Croats responded with a block aligned more to the top and succeeded, to better hold the leather. Despite the game quality slightly better, it was missing all the same opportunities. Conversely, Neymar on free-kick (87th) and Firmino (88th) tried their luck, without success, before the player Liverpool eventually doubled the lead (2-0, 90th+3) Brazil wins after a match frankly laborious but has recovered from a Neymar visibly in the form and already important.