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Tournament favorites Brazil began their FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign with a routine 2-0 win over Serbia in their Group G clash on Thursday, November 24.
The first half saw Brazil dominate possession, probing constantly, but they were unable to find a way past a robust Serbian defence. Neither goalkeeper was unduly tested, however, as clear-cut chances were hard to come by for both sides.
The Selecao kept the intensity up after the restart and were rewarded for their persistence in the 62nd minute. After a powerful shot from Vinicius Jr. had been parried into his path, Richarlison had the simple task of tapping the loose ball into the net.
The Tottenham Hotspur attacker then added a second in the 73rd minute, smashing home an acrobatic volley to secure the win.
Serbia were unable to really test Brazil's defense throughout the game and could not find a response. The five-time champions saw the game out with relative ease to claim all three points.
On that note, here are the player ratings from an exciting match at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
Brazil Player Ratings
Alisson - 6/10
Alisson barely broke a sweat in the game as he was not called upon to make a single save. Most of his involvement with the play was with the ball at his feet and he looked solid in that aspect.
Danilo - 6/10
Content to let his talented attackers get on with their work, Danilo hung back to focus on defending and simply got the ball upfield quickly when in possession. He also made a clearance, a tackle and an interception during his time on the pitch.
Marquinhos - 6.5/10
Calm and composed in possession, Marquinhos completed 61 of his 64 passes, backing that up with nine recoveries as part of his defensive duties as well.
Thiago SIlva - 6.5/10
The Brazil captain dealt well with the physical threat of Aleksandar Mitrovic and put in a solid shift to help his side maintain their clean sheet. Silva ended the night with a superb 93% pass accuracy and even played four accurate long balls. Neither he nor Marquinhos were tested sufficiently by Serbia.
Alex Sandro - 7/10
Sandro was the most attacking of Brazil’s defenders, choosing his moments to bomb forward well. He maintained a 94% pass accuracy in the game and came close to scoring himself with a powerful long-range effort that cannoned off the crossbar.
Casemiro - 7/10
Sitting deep in midfield, Casemiro showed off his excellent passing, finding teammates with almost unerring accuracy from his withdrawn position. He also rattled the woodwork with a strike from distance late on.
The Manchester United was successful with all of his tackle attempts and ensured that Brazil dominated their midfield battle with Serbia.
Lucas Paqueta - 6.5/10
Given the freedom to roam around the pitch from his central midfield berth, Paqueta put in a tidy performance. He could not offer much in attack, but contributed defensively, making two celarances and five recoveries.
Raphinha - 6/10
Like Vinicius on the opposite flank, Raphinha was a constant attacking threat for Brazil but lacked the final product. He was taken off minutes before the end after recording two shots on target and a key pass.
Neymar - 6/10
Brazil's talismanic attacker was closely marked by the Serbian defenders, which restricted the influence he had on the game. Despite being the most fouled player in the game (nine times), he still managed to create three chances during his time on the pitch.
Worryingly for the Selecao, Neymar seemed to leave the pitch with an injury.
Vinicius Jr. - 7.5/10
Vinicius looked threatening every time he bombed down the left wing with his trademark pace and direct running, creating four chances. He was taken off for fresh legs almost immediately after setting up Richarlison’s second goal.
Richarlison - 9/10
Marked out of the game in the first half, Richarlison burst into life in the second with two quick-fire goals. The first was an instinctive poacher’s finish, while the second a remarkable overhead kick that put the game beyond Serbia's reach once and for all.
Apart from the goals, he could not get involved in the game much, going off in the 79th minute having had just 25 touches.
Substitutes
Fred (Paqueta 75’) - 5/10
On for the final 15 minutes, Fred was his usual all-action self and helped his side stay on the front foot with his aggressive pressing and boundless energy.
Rodrygo (Vinicius 76’) - 5.5/10
Although tidy in possession, Rodrygo was unable to make a major impact on the game during his short stint on the pitch.
Gabriel Jesus (Richarlison 79’) - 5.5/10
Jesus made himself a nuisance in the box with his trickery and movement but was unable to create anything of note.
Antony (Neymar 80’) - 6/10
A short but entertaining cameo from Antony, who looked lively after coming on and helped Brazil keep the pressure on the Serbian goal.
Gabriel Martinelli (Raphinha 87’) - 6/10
Martinelli packed a lot into the few minutes of action he got, making a couple of extremely positive runs into the box from his position on the left wing.
Serbia Player Ratings
Vanja Milinkovic-Savic - 6/10
The Serbian shot-stopper made six saves to help his side stay in the game but was only delaying the inevitable. He could do little to stop either of Richarlison’s goals and was let down by those in front of him.
Nikola Milenkovic - 6.5/10
Despite the result, Milenkovic stood out in the Serbian defense, making the most tackles (five) and winning the most duels (10) of anyone in the game. He also looked good on the ball, completing 43 of his 50 passes.
Milos Veljkovic - 6/10
Veljkovic started fairly solidly but struggled to deal with the relentless pressure that that Brazilian attackers applied as the game wore on. He did, however, record 87% pass accuracy, six clearances, two tackles and two successful ground duels.
Strahinja Pavlovic - 6/10
Despite picking up a very early booking for a foul on Neymar, Pavlovic stood up fairly well to the test. He made a couple of important tackles to keep Brazil at bay.
Andrija Zivkovic - 5.5/10
Zivkovic was Serbia’s most-used out-ball as he was a willing runner down the right flank. He could not use his pace to good effect, however, and was taken off in the 57th minute.
Sasa Lukic - 6/10
Lukic seemed to have the unenviable task of marking Neymar and did a decent job while also moving the ball quickly when called upon. He picked up a booking for dissent in the aftermath of the opener and was taken off soon after.
Nemanja Gudelj - 5.5/10
Gudelj was the deepest-lying of Serbia’s midfielders, taking up the role of an additional cenre-half at times. His ball progression could've been better and he also picked up a booking in the second half before being taken off just before the hour mark.
Filip Mladenovic - 5/10
Mladenovic spent most of his time on the pitch tracking back to help defend, offering little in an attacking sense. He was replaced shortly after Serbia went behind.
Dusan Tadic - 5/10
The Serbian skipper could not help his team get the attacking side of their game going. He ended up with the fewest touches of any outfield player to have played the full 90 minutes. Tadic recorded a key pass, but Serbia needed much more from their midfield maestro.
Most of his contributions on the pitch were defensive ones as he made four tackles, an interception and a block.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic - 5/10
Serbia’s main man in midfield was not allowed time or space on the ball and thus struggled to influence the game much. Milinkovic-Savic completed just one dribble and couldn't record a single key pass.
Aleksandar Mitrovic - 5/10
It was a rather subdued showing for Mitrovic, who was expertly marked by the Brazilian defenders and also starved of service. Without having had anything to feed off, he was taken off in the 83rd minute with more fouls (two) than shot attempts (zero).
Substitutes
Ivan Ilic (Gudelj 57’) - 5.5/10
Ilic was a more attacking replacement for Gudelj and tried his best to get his side moving forward but to little avail.
Nemanja Radonjic (Zivkovic 57’) - 5/10
Radonjic was not allowed to get on the ball much by an experienced Brazil defense, severely limiting his influence on the game.
Darko Lazovic (Lukic 66’) - 5/10
With Brazil enjoying the lion’s share of the possession throughout the game, Lazovic was unable to make an impact at the other end. He barely got on the ball, ending the game with just seven successful passes.
Dusan Vlahovic (Mladenovic 66’) - 5/10
Vlahovic barely got a touch of the ball during his time on the pitch as Brazil monopolized possession, leaving him isolated at the other end.
Nemanja Maksimovic (Mitrovic 83’) - 5/10
Maksimovic got just seven touches after coming on, completing five of his six passes. He had very little time to have any real impact on the game.
