DOHA, November 29, 2022 - Expectations to understand if Brazil, without their main star Neymar Jr., would have been able to win against Switzerland on the second day of the Group G stage were high on the eve. Tite's disciples have suffered indeed more than expected to win against the Swiss since the crowd at 974 Stadium in Doha had to wait until minute 83 to see the score finally unlocked, thanks to Casemiro’s finishing goal after brushing against a defender and preventing the goalkeeper Sommer, who could not prevent the ball from reaching the net.
During the first half, there was nothing much to report with just two shots from the Canarinha, with only three attempts and the best occasion (a shoot by Vinicius) right in front of the goalkeeper. These first 45 minutes have been a perfect copy of the first match against Serbia. In the second half, Brazil picked up the accelerator again and created better chances, although it is true that the Swiss also had some chances, none of their shots was aimed at the goal.
The best chance was carried out by Vinicius, who scored, at minute 66, after a mistake by the Swiss defenders, but the goal was then cancelled by the VAR for an offside position by the Brazilian striker.
With this result, Brazil automatically qualifies for the round of 16 and leads Group G with 6 points. They are followed by Switzerland, with 3, and Cameroon and Serbia - who played a vibrant match (3-3) yesterday - have only 1 point each. Switzerland must, at least, draw against the Balkans in order to qualify for the next round, while Cameroon has a last and difficult compromise against the Canarinha.
In group H, Portugal also certified its qualification to the round of 16, after beating Uruguay 2-0 (both goals scored by Bruno Fernandes), while Ghana came from behind against South Korea (3-2), after trailing 1-2 at half-time. A draw against Uruguay is enough for the Africans to go through in the competition, while the South Americans are only worth the victory on the last day of this group stage, which begins today, with the matches of groups A and B.
