Richarlison scored both goals as Brazil defeated Serbia 2-0 in their World Cup 2022 Group G opener at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
A tenacious Eagles team held out over a 60 minutes before the Brazil player scored just after the hour mark. He doubled his tally with a lovely acrobatic effort to seal an opening victory for the Selecao, who did not always have it their way.
In the early going, Serbia was not afraid to step in as they frustrated a toothless Brazil team, but in the fourteenth minute, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic needed to be alert to stop an inswinging corner from Neymar that could have gone under crossbar.
The five-time champions were then stopped in their tracks by an unwavering red wall and Milinkovic-Savic, who then came out excellently to stop Vinicius Junior in the 27th minute after the Real Madrid player got in behind. Casemiro then struck the palms of the Serbia number one from a long distance in the 21st minute.
Raphinha, a Barcelona player, was one-on-one with Milinkovic-Savic after a deft passing play in the 35th minute, but he could only send a hesitant effort into the goalkeeper’s hands. Poor finishing did not help Brazil’s cause. A failed clearance by Nikola Milenkovic four minutes before halftime struck him in the face and fell into Vinicius Junior’s path, but the Fiorentina center-back recovered well to stop the Brazilian.
At halftime, Dragan Stojkovic would’ve been the manager who was the happiest of the two, but he would not be astonished to see a defensive blunder cost his team the game. Only 40 seconds after the break, Raphinha had a golden opportunity to score the game’s first goal. Unfortunately, he hit the ball straight at Milinkovic-Savic. Only five minutes later, Neymar was scythed down just outside the box by Nemanja Gudelj, giving the Psg star a very good free kick opportunity. However, Gudelj’s attempt was repelled behind in a corner, which had no effect.
Then, in the 55th minute, Neymar poked wide after a low Vinicius Junior cross as Tite’s team stepped up the pressure, which almost paid off at the hour mark. Brazil would finally receive their just desserts in the 63rd minute after left-back Alex Sandro fired a vicious shot from distance that hit the post after Milinkovic-Savic was defeated.
Neymar’s deft footwork on the edge of the box gave Vinicius Junior the opportunity to shoot a curling shot from the left. Milinkovic-Savic could only parry the shot into the danger zone, where Richarlison was waiting to tap it in.
In the 68th minute, Vinicius Junior had a chance to double the Selecao’s advantage, but he slipped just as the ball was going high and wide. But in the 73rd minute, the Real Madrid starlet made a crucial contribution by sending in an outside-of-the-boot cross that Richarlison flicked up and fired with a breathtaking bicycle kick into the bottom corner.
Brazil, who were now comfortably ahead, came close to scoring three more goals when Casemiro’s long-range curler hit the crossbar in the 81st minute and Milinkovic-Savic saved Rodrygo’s low attempt just seconds later.
In the 83rd minute, Fred forced the Serbian goalkeeper to make a low diving save as the Eagles’ defence had effectively crumbled and their focus had shifted to damage control. Despite persistent attempts to score, Brazil failed to cause the net to tremble once more as they swept to the top of Group G in advance of their match against Switzerland on Monday, while Serbia was getting ready to play Cameroon in four days.
FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE ON TWITTER
READ MORE;
Netherlands Vs Ecuador : Match preview, team news and possible lineups
England vs USA : Match preview, team news and possible lineups