Brazil put first and showed why they are the big candidate, even though Neymar ended up injured

Spain had set a very high bar in this Qatar World Cup. Not only for the 7-0 win against Costa Rica, but also for the level of play he showed. It was expected Brazilin the match that closed the first round of the group stage, he also showed his cards and showed because he is number one in the FIFA rankings and the great candidate. And the five-time champion more than lived up to expectations. He was so excited that, eventually, the fans ended up singing along “Ole Ole Ole” before each succession of touches by his players. It scares the power of him. An asterisk no less: Neymar limped off the pitch and with signs of concern: her right ankle was badly battered.

The Titan team they beat too shy Serbia 2-0 who resisted as long as he could, more due to the yellow-greens’ lack of aim than thanks to him. The always provocative richarison, one of the four strikers that Tite has fielded, unlocked everything with his two goals. First a bounce. Then a wonderful pirouette.

And they achieved an all-time record: they equaled Germany as the team with the best unbeaten run in the group stage of the World Cup with 16 unbeaten matches.

During the first half there was the feeling that, at any moment, the zero would break. Even if Tite’s team didn’t have a monopoly on the ball, was the one who had the most depth and the one who came the most, especially when he opened up towards the ends so that Vinicius and Raphinha overwhelmed their markers. Only the last point was missing.

The stadium, unlike what happened in many games, seemed full. Only a few empty seats were noticeable. There was, according to the official report, 88,103 spectatorsthe same as Argentina-Saudi Arabia, although in sight with many more people in the stands.

It was not necessary to look at the field of play to know when Neymar took charge of the attacks. The Lusail stand, the same one that saw Argentina stumble against Saudi Arabia, collapsed as the PSG star commanded the verdeamarelos’ attacks. And he marked the starting ground: in the first corner he tried to score. It was an Olympic goal if it weren’t for Vanja Milinkovic-Savic’s reaction.

The first half slipped by, but Brazil felt no pressure to forgive Serbia. the Europeans, with Dusan Vlahovic on the bench, almost did not bother. A few solitary runs by Dusan Tadic, soon trapped in that lethal triangle he composes Marquinhos, Thiago Silva and Casemirò.

The second part was a monologue. If in the previous period the sensation of goal was there, in this one it was only a matter of time. So it was. Raphinha had it, after a mistake by Gudelj, but failed with the 202-centimeter giant who was in the goal of Serbia. It was the first of nearly 20 times Brazil had trampled the opposition area, including two shots on the posts. Yes, he kept attacking Brazil over and over, here and there, until the wall was broken down.

After the quarter of an hour, Neymar, for the umpteenth time, has turned forward, from center to left. There is space to finish with the left foot, but Vinicius sees the light, interferes and kicks a shot that finds Milinkovic-Savic’s glove. However, the rebound was served to Richarlison to push her on goal.

Serbia, obliged, even if not too convinced, went to look for a draw. But he lacked arguments. Not even Vlahovic’s income was enough to make Allison and company restless. The most dangerous came from a corner from the right which, after kissing the ball, Tadic executed. The Brazil area was a pinball machine until the saving clearance arrived.

It was the only hot flash of the night. Later, calm would come when Vinicius, once again crossing the left lane, sent a cross to Richarlison will show all his resources: control and pirouette for 2-0.

It was all joy for Brazil until Neymar triggered the alarms. After a tough challenge from Nikola Milenkovic, he sprained his right ankle. Already in the bank, he started crying. Will it be serious? We will have to wait to see if they will be against Switzerland and Cameroon. While Tite shouldn’t worry, his team doesn’t depend solely on Neymar.

Doha. Special delivery.