World Cup 2018: Brazil 1-1 Switzerland; 3 key battles that decided the game

In what has been the day of the underdogs, yet another former champion was dealt a blow as Brazil could only manage a draw against Switzerland in their Group E fixture. While Tite can be proud of the repeated attacking tendencies his side showed, their effectiveness needs to be honed if Brazil are to become the favorites they are.

A trademark Coutinho goal from outside the box was enough to build up the hopes and dreams of the yearning Brazilian faithful, but some compact defending and a free header from Zuber brought all of it crashing to the ground, as the Swiss showed just how good they are.

As always, there were a few individual battles that went a long way in deciding the final outcome of the game. Here's a look at 3 of them:

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#1 Neymar vs Valon Behrami

Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Very few players in the world can be proud of the fact that they shut down Neymar for an entire game, and it is time Behrami's name got up on that list. Every time Neymar got the ball, Behrami was there giving him the stink eye, his dirty blonde hair flowing Neymar's hair of the same color spectrum.

To be fair, it was not just Behrami who was responsible for keeping Neymar under wraps but the whole Swiss team. They were not afraid to tug at his shirt or trip him, and when he tried to get away from one man, two more were there ahead of him.

Behrami did get a yellow card - poetically, for a foul on Neymar, but was promptly taken away in the place of Zakaria, who immediately went back to playing the same role. To his credit, Neymar did try his best to break off the shackles, but it is not easy when you have 10 men chopping at you incessantly.

5 dribbles and 11 fouls later, Neymar was still standing but Brazil was not. Neymar was supposed to be their savior, and in his absence, the rest of the cast presented a dull picture too. Maybe this is the tactic the other teams will be considering as well.

#2 Xherdan Shaqiri vs Marcelo

Shaqiri ensured that Marcelo always had his hands full and his heart in his mouth

The right hand side of the Swiss half was the one that witnessed the most action, with Neymar and Coutinho storming down it and getting knocked down repeatedly by Lictsteiner & co. But a little bit further away, there was a battle going on between Marcelo and Shaqiri.

It is no secret that Shaqiri is Switzerland's most creative player, and the one the Brazilian defense had to keep an eye on. The problem was how the Swiss would give the ball to him, and it turns out the answer is Xhaka.

The connection between the two was important, as Xhaka released Shaqiri with his long balls, and then the play-maker turned to Seferovic to finish his crosses. This connection was not fully realised in the first half, but in the second - where Switzerland dominated, it was seen in its full glory.

It was Shaqiri's corner as well that earned Switzerland's goal - a glowing example of Swiss precision, and Zuber only had to make sure that he got his head on to it, which he did to the surprise of the Brazilian defenders.

Marcelo still had his marauding runs forward, but like the rest of the Brazilian attack, lacked anything concrete. His crosses were mostly blocked, and his usual one-twos with Neymar did not turn out to be as easy.

#3 Gabriel Jesus vs Manuel Akanji

A disappointing outing for the Brazilian striker

If there is one young defender that you have to keep the eye on in this WC (and for the love of god, stop mentioning Joshua Kimmich), here is Manuel Akanji. Standing an imperial 187 cms, the 22-year-old ensured that Gabriel Jesus never got to call his mom on his imaginary phone.

Gabriel Jesus could never get the service he required in the way Switzerland was set up, and a poor game over-all from Willian on the flanks made it even worse from him. The dearth of crosses from the right, and Neymar being land-locked on the left meant that the Manchester City striker cut a lonely figure for most of the game.

It also did not help that Akanji had the performance of his lifetime, full of confidence and competence. The youngster even had the audacity to nutmeg one opponent during this nonchalant performance, and that's the kind of thing that really grinds the gears of the Brazilians. Along with Schaer, the two centre backs saw to it that nothing penetrated through them - but you cannot do anything about long shots, can you?

Will we see Tite try Firmino in the next game, or will Jesus continue to remain the trusted player for the position? Interesting questions for us, but sleepless nights for the man in question.

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