To term the match touted as 'the match of the group stage' as a damp squib would be an understatement. Matches which have high expectations and appear to be exciting on paper often turn out this way. iSporter Hirok Banerjee reports on the Group G game of the FIFA World Cup between Brazil and Portugal.
Brazil without Kaka - in suspension and Robinho - rested, looked woefully short of ideas. Not that they tried very hard. Already assured of a pre-quarter final berth and the prospect of topping the group with a draw, Brazil was prepared to play the waiting game from the very beginning.
That explains in part the real lack of a goal scoring opportunity created by Brazil. Except for one attempt where Eduardo pulled off a save from Nilmar, there was hardly a serious attempt at the Portuguese goal.
Likewise, Portugal hardly posed a threat in the entire 1st half. Cristiano Ronaldo was not allowed to be with the ball and Pepe and others were more happy to sit back and choke the midfield thus not allowing Brazil the crucial space to operate.
This carried on till the 60th minute when in a flash of inspiration Ronaldo found a ball and some space. With about 4 defenders on his heels Ronaldo sped past one but found company in the sturdy Brazilian captain Lucio. Nearing the penalty box Lucio intercepted Ronaldo's feather touch in-step only to push the ball across which Portugal missed again.
From that point onwards Portugal started showing some urgency. For the next few minutes, Portugal played the dominant part but without success. Then again, it was the same story of a midfield scuffle where the ball stayed within the middle 45 yards of the field. Disappointing.
Partially because Portugal and Brazil both had all but qualified, the stakes were minimal in this match. Maybe Kaka's presence could have been the trigger for Cristiano to raise his game up a notch. Maybe, if this was a knockout match, the coaches would have been a bit more imaginative. What promised to be an exhibition of artistic exhilarating football turned out to be a dud, a flop-show of the highest order.
May this be the last of this breed.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide comments
Show/hide comment form
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
