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Brazil are yet to taste defeat since losing the 2021 Copa America final to rivals Argentina last July. While the Selecao haven’t dropped off much, recent results have raised a few questions.
Back-to-back draws against Argentina and Ecuador saw Brazil's lead on the CONMEBOL 2022 World Cup qualifiers table cut to just four points.
However, Tite’s side finally regained their mojo on Wednesday and produced an impressive performance against a largely disjointed Paraguay side.
The Selecao completely dominated the game from the blast of the referee’s whistle, with goals from Raphinha, Philippe Coutinho, Anthony and Rodrygo sealing a comfortable 4-0 victory at home.
Selecao back to winning ways
Tite was visibly livid when his side drew 1-1 with Ecuador last week. The Selecao boss was critical of the match referees, but the bottom line was that they were not good enough on the night.
On Wednesday, though, it was a different story altogether. The Selecao played with swagger and were clinical up front, too.
Against Ecuador, they opened the scoring and faded as the minutes passed. Here, Brazil kept asking questions of Paraguay’s defense even after going ahead.
In the end, the 4-0 scoreline could easily have been more as Brazil recorded eight shots on target and had 76% of the possession. What a way to end their two-game winless run.
No Neymar, no problem
Captain Neymar wasn’t invited for this month’s international matches after he sustained an injury at PSG. It’s, however, fair to say the team hasn’t missed him at all.
Rather, the players who were handed opportunities made the most of it. Philippe Coutinho returned to the national team after a long while and delivered a masterclass, capped off by a stunning trademark long-range goal.
Vinicius Junior was also a lively presence on the pitch, while Raphinha scored after putting up an impressive performance on the right-wing.
The Selecao have been hugely dependent on Neymar in recent years and they usually struggle when he’s not around. On this occasion, though, they did just fine without their talismanic captain.
