World Cup 2018: Brazil 2-0 Mexico - Hits and flops from the game

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Mexico's Salcedo (left) tries to catch up with Neymar (right)

In what many have opined to the most unpredictable World Cup in the history of the competition thus far, American rivals Brazil and Mexico went toe to toe to decide the fifth entrant into the quarterfinals of the most watched sporting event in the world.

The fact that underdogs have had a good run in Russia coupled with stalwart performances from the likes of Russia and Denmark the previous day gave the Mexicans hope. But it was not to be for El Tri as Tite's side romped home to a 2-0 win with a dogged showing on the night.

While much of the first 45 minutes were dominated by the men in the green shirts, the Seleçãos hit back early in the second half when Neymar was able to tap in a low ball by Willian from a couple of yards outside the goal.

Neymar played the penultimate part in Brazil's second goal just minutes before the final whistle as he booted a shot from the outside of his foot from close range. Despite Guillermo Ochoa managing to knick the ball, substitute Roberto Firmino tapped in from 2 yards out to take the 5-time World Cup winners home at the Samara Arena.

Let us now have a look at the players who heavily impacted the game and the ones who didn't.


#5 Hit: Guillermo Ochoa

Guillermo Ochoa was in
Guillermo Ochoa was in "you shall not pass" mode yet again between the sticks tonight

Despite letting in two goals, the 32-year-old shot-stopper Guillermo 'Memo' Ochoa was undoubtedly Mexico's best player on the field tonight. But this is nothing out of the unusual.

Ochoa has been a wall-like presence in the defence of the North Americans since the inception of the tournament. He was at it in the opening fixture against Germany where he parried a pinpoint Toni Kroos freekick on to the crossbar and he was at it again at the Samara Arena tonight, where he made a total of 8 saves.

The Standard Liege goalkeeper has now accumulated a whopping 25 saves in the tournament, which is bettered by no one. He overtook Kasper Schmeichel, who has 21 saves in Russia.

There were several times when the likes of Neymar and Willian had cleaned up the back line of El Tri and a netbuster seemed imminent but there was Ochoa to deny them all. Without his heroics, the margin of the Brazilian victory would have been much wider and it is safe to say that Ochoa kept the Mexicans in the game for a long time.

#4 Flop: Fagner

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Fagner has failed to silence his doubters at the World Cup

When Dani Alves was ruled out of the World Cup in early May, concerns were raised regarding a suitable replacement and consequently a successor for the right-back position, the only department where the Brazilians seemed to not have a dearth of dependable options. Eventually, Manchester City's Danilo and Corinthians' Fagner emerged as the options with Tite preferring the latter.

However, the questions from May were reiterated tonight as an underwhelming Fagner was left wanting for most parts of the game by Carlos Vela and Hirving Lozano.

Much of the Mexican dominance in the first half an hour of the match was owed to Vela's brilliance in the left flank and his dynamic switch of play through diagonal balls to Lozano. All of it could have been avoided if Fagner could've done his duties diligently.

The 29-year-old Brazilian was wary of Vela's pace and decided to employ a conservative approach against the Los Angeles FC forward. As a result, all he did was back down and try to contain Vela instead of pressing him which allowed the latter ample space to pull the strings from the left flank.

Fagner did not decide to change his approach when Vela and Lozano switched flanks later on in the game and as a result, Mexican attacks continued to build almost always from the left side of the pitch.

#3 Hit: Neymar

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Neymar was on the scoresheet yet again for Brazil

Neymar Jr. is mostly in the news for two things - the sensational brand of football that he plays and his simulation antics that are almost as good (or bad if you are an ethicist). While the latter dominated most of the pre-game build-up and the internet trolls, the 26-year-old just reminded everyone why Paris Saint-Germain paid the whopping £198 million for him.

While he did have problems in stringing a few passes together and keeping hold of the ball early on in the game, there was no stopping the Brazilian once he got into the groove. He was a constant thorn in the life of Edson Alvarez and the rest of the Mexican defence. Had Memo Ochoa not turned up good, Neymar could have easily had a couple of more goals.

He latched on to Willian's ball which beat both Ochoa and an outstretching Gabriel Jesus to give Brazil the lead. A Fernandinho pass late on in the game allowed Neymar to burst into a run where the No.10 tried to knock it into the net from the outside of his boot but his shot was marginally tipped by Ochoa's left foot into the path of Roberto Firmino who did the rest.

#2 Flop: Javier Hernandez

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Chicharito was totally amiss on the night

If there is one player El Tri would have been hoping for to turn up good on the night, it would be veteran striker Javier Hernandez. It goes without saying that Chicharito is a vital cog in Juan Carlos Osorio's side but his contributions tonight were anything but.

The diminutive forward was kept at bay by the Brazilian centre-back pairing of Joao Miranda and Thiago Silva who outmuscled, outjumped, and on several occasions outpaced the West Ham man.

Chicharito was reduced to such a minimum role tonight that he managed to have only 13 touches of the ball, and had absolutely zero shots. Despite Mexico racking up serious goal threats early on in the game, Chicharito was still amiss in the action as Vela, Lozano and Hector Herrera did most of the work.

As a result, Osorio had no choice but to replace Hernandez at the hour mark with Raul Jimenez, who himself did not have much better an outing.

#1 Hit: Willian

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The Mexicans were left catching Willian's trail throughout the night

Right winger Willian's form had been one of the few positive facets of a rather ragged Chelsea campaign last year. The Brazilian has definitely continued his exploits in the World Cup thus far and was the best player on the pitch tonight against Mexico.

Even during the first half an hour of Mexican dominance, it was Willian who was continuously cooking up something or the other for the Seleçãos. He hit top gear altogether when Tite's men started to dominate proceedings, which too, was a result of Willian's own brilliance on the ball.

The Chelsea man was unstoppable with the ball, holding up possession ably in the attacking third of the pitch to allow his teammates to get into dangerous positions while going on threatening runs of his own. A beautifully curled ball from him inside the penalty box beat Ochoa for the first time in the game to find a waiting Neymar who tapped in and threw the game open.

Willian was in the news before the game as reports suggested that Chelsea had turned down an offer for the Brazilian by Barcelona and tonight, he showcased exactly why the Catalans are interested in him.


Who do you think was the best player in the Brazil-Mexico game? Tell us in the comments below!

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Edited by Kishan Prasad