After France, Brazil is the second team to qualify for the round of 16 after two games.
By beating Switzerland (1-0) on Monday evening, Tite's men did the necessary accounting and took an option for first place in group G. This will further strengthen France's desire to finish it. also first in her group so as not to be placed in the same part of the table as the Seleção.
But if the latter got back on her bus with this qualification, she left a lot of doubts and questions in the holds of the vehicle.
Without Neymar, this formation looks like anything but a bulldozer.
Or who would forget to spend the second.
After this sluggish match, it is obvious that the most important man in Brazil at the moment is the team doctor responsible for deflating the PSG star's right ankle and getting him back on his two feet.
Read alsoWorld Cup 2022: between Neymar and Brazil, a crazy story that awaits its happy ending
Let's face it.
After the formidable Cameroon-Serbia (3-3) and Ghana-South Korea (3-2), the prospect of seeing Brazil evolve at the 974 Stadium announced the continuation of a prosperous day.
But the feeling at the break, in front of the performance of the Seleção, was to have stuffed ourselves with peanuts and pistachios as an aperitif before going to dinner.
What Brazil showed made you want to get out of your seat and go home.
That a title contender?
Clearly there is a Brazil with Neymar and a Brazil deprived of the whimsical Parisian.
The admirable and the annoying.
Without him and his bruised right ankle, Brazilian imagination and creativity would be almost nil.
Neymar was not even at the stadium and preferred to stay at the Auriver hotel to continue his treatment.
Perhaps the best technical gesture of the team.
Richarlison, intermittently, caused some concern in the Swiss rearguard.
With a failed control in front of goal (13th) or an intervention by Akanji in front of him (19th).
Only a crushed recovery from Vinicius, on receiving a cross from the right side of Raphinha forced Sommer to work (27th).
A strike from Casemiro
Opposite, the Nati, well in place, seemed almost surprised to suffer so little.
It's not even that she played safe, a well-known specialty of the Swiss Confederation.
No, it was really Brazil who played badly.
Moreover, for a short moment, the light almost went out in the stadium.
As if the spectacle did not deserve the light of Doha.
Paquet came out at the break in favor of Rodrygo, but Brazil did not accelerate and were content with a false rhythm to pack the match.
Focusing more on individual action.
But on a delicious cross from the outside of the foot of Vinicius, Richarlison lacked a size to extend the ball into the goal (56th).
Switzerland then grew bolder and got caught, almost on the counter.
Casemiro launches Vinicius, clearly the best player on the lawn.
The Madrid player erases Elvedi and beats Sommer (64th).
With the speed with which the Brazilian substitutes are rushing towards the goalscorer, it is not just a simple joy that invades the whole team.
Above all, it is a huge relief.
But a minute later, happiness becomes a grin again.
Because the goal, after the intervention of the VAR, is canceled for an offside by Richarlison.
Everything has to be done again.
The minutes go by and the stress mounts.
In the official gallery, the trio of old glories, Cafu-Ronaldo-Roberto Carlos, is tense.
But all these beautiful people will finally break free.
Found by Rodrygo, Casemiro executes a shot from outside the right, countered by a Swiss out of reach of Sommer (1-0, 83rd).
And stadium 974, so yellow and silent from the start, finally begins to sing.
