Brazil vs Mexico: 5 things we learned

The curse of the fifth game continues to frustrate Mexico, as El Tri were knocked out at the round of 16 by Brazil. Meanwhile, the South American powerhouse will have a chance to march on towards the final after scoring two second-half goals, but the game wasn’t without its share of controversy.

Tite’s side will take on Belgium in what should be a pulsating quarter-final, with the winner from that game facing either Uruguay or France in the semi-finals.

Here are five things we learned from Brazil’s 2-0 win over Mexico.

1. Could Brazil win it all?

The five-time World Cup winners didn’t start off blazing, but they have steadily improved as the tournament has gone on. More important, Brazil will come into the game against Belgium with an impressive record: unbeaten in their last 15 games (W11 D4) and having conceded just three goals.

Their attack is the envy of any team. Defensively, they are no slouches either, and the no. 1 shot-stopper, Alisson, is coming off a very impressive season with Roma, including shutting out Lionel Messi and Barcelona in a 3-0 win for the Giallorossi. Brazil’s back-up, Ederson, was a protagonist as Manchester City romped to the Premier League title.

Brazil is just three games away from winning the final. Whilst that’s a long way to go, one can’t help but wonder with Argentina, Germany, Portugal, and Spain already out that this could be their time. Especially with Germany, the team who humiliated Brazil 7-1 in a match that still gives fans nightmares suffering a humiliating group stage exit.

2. More heartbreak for Mexico…but they only have themselves to blame

Mexico started this tournament off well with a shock 1-0 win over Germany. They then dispatched South Korea to look pretty much set to finish the group stage campaign as winners. However, the wheels came off the bus as they were embarrassed in a 3-0 loss to a Sweden side who are more built to defend narrow leads than come out and attack.

Had Mexico done what was needed – and avoid losing to the Swedes – the team would have had a more palatable round of 16 opponent: Switzerland. Instead, Juan Carlo Osorio’s side lost the plot and ended up taking on Brazil, whilst Sweden again edged out Switzerland thanks to a narrow 1-0 victory.

3. Neymar’s theatrics are frustrating…but it shouldn’t detract from his obvious talent

At 26, Neymar is already in the top five goalscorers for Brazil. Only Ronaldo (62) and Pele (77) have bettered his total of 57 strikes, and he has six World Cup goals to his name. Two of those have been at this summer’s tournament, and he naturally will be looking to add more to his tally, which has seen him also pick up one assist.

Yes, his theatrics – namely during the Mexico tie – is frustrating to observe, but what he brings to this Brazil side can’t be disputed. After seeing his World Cup four years ago end in heartbreak due to a fractured back, and with the other two members of the “big 3” – Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – departing early, Neymar is hungry and eager to prove his worth.

4. A re-shuffle in attack for Brazil?

The fact that Roberto Firmino scored in less than three minutes after coming on, whilst Gabriel Jesus has yet to net a goal may factor into Tite’s thinking for Brazil’s upcoming game against Belgium. Perhaps he may need to mix things up a bit in order to take advantage of Belgium’s less-than steady defense, which conceded twice against Tunisia and two more against Japan.

5. A very disappointing tournament for CONCACAF sides

No one expected Panama, in their debut campaign to make waves. Meanwhile, Costa Rica, the darling of the 2014 tournament ended up finishing last in their quartet. Thus, all hopes rested on Mexico, especially after the team’s impressive opening win over Germany. However, when the going got tougher, they unfortunately were unable to make the grade. El Tri’s showing against Sweden now seems to be the writing on the wall, a team who blew hot and cold and failed to show up where it counted.

Quite a few USA fans had chosen to put aside their sporting differences with Mexico and jump on the El Tri bandwagon as Mexico represented CONCACAF’s most realistic opportunity of making a major splash at this tournament. Whilst no one expected Mexico to actually win it, this tournament has shaped up to be one for the minnows – just ask teams like Russia and notably, Croatia. Unfortunately, Mexico was not able to build on their strong start and now CONCACAF will not have a representative in the quarter-finals – something that could have been a reality had things turned out for the better.