Juan Carlos Maygua
The road to the quarterfinals continued in New York / New Jersey. Brazil and Norway faced each other in one of the high profile fixtures of the round of 16. It was Erling Haaland against Vinicius Jr, but above all, it was Brazil’s history against Norway’s spectacular World Cup run. Nevertheless, Brazil arrived as the clear favorite despite Haaland’s presence with Norway. The stage was set with 80,663 fans in attendance to witness history no matter the winner.
Norway’s dream continues
Norway had to endure a 28 year wait before returning to the World Cup. It was only fitting that they returned in style. Having players like Martin Ødegaard and Erling Haaland gave them a big advantage ahead of their World Cup campaign. they both have delivered beyond expectations and have led the team all the way to the knockout stages. They endured a contested match against Ivory Coast, but the game breaker came through Haaland. The striker might not be the most skillful with the ball, but he is critical when he needs to be.
Facing Brazil is never easy, but they are not the side they once were. Nevertheless, they still have individual talent that also makes the difference. While they do have Vinicius Jr, he can’t do everything himself. Neymar was called up, but has not seen minutes the way many expected him to. But Brazil is Brazil as they say.
Norway gave the first warning from the start. Ødegaard found Alexander Sørloth on the wing, placing a cross to the box, and finding Patrick Berg. It only took Norway 3 minutes to find the spaces and open the score. Fortunately for Brazil it was called offside. Brazil bounced back from that scare with Vinicius making good plays on the wing. They were also able to open up Norway and build up the play that led to the penalty call. Unexpectedly and to everyone’s surprise Bruno Guimaraes took the penalty, when everyone expected Vinicius to come to the penalty spot. Whether it was poorly executed or a great save by the goalkeeper, Brazil lost a good opportunity to take control of the game.
The rest of the first half was good for Brazil in terms of creating chances and finding spaces, but not enough to finish their plays in the final third. Norway came back into the game by the 35th minute through a chance by Ødegaard. They enjoyed consecutive chances in the final minutes, enough to keep Brazil alert. Martinelli did have a clear chance in the final play of the half, but it missed the target.
Brazil had a similar start in the second half and in fact it was the chance that sentenced the game for Brazil. Endrick came in from Cunha and was unable to finish a one on one play in the 57th minute. It was the play that would have changed the game completely. Having the advantage early in the second half would have forced Norway to go on the attack and leave more spaces. They didn’t finish the opportunities they had and they paid a heavy price for it.
Players like Erling Haaland don’t need many opportunities to make an impact in a game. They just have to be at the right place and at the right time. He did exactly that to end Brazil’s hopes in a space of 11 minutes. The first chance in the 79th minute from a header, basically walking the field, made a small jump and scored. The final blow came in the 90th minute, from outside the box. The Brazilian defense gave him enough space to control the ball and place his shot on the bottom corner. Two chances were enough to end Brazilian hopes and seal their worst World Cup win in 36 years. Neymar did manage to pull one goal back from the penalty spot, but the reaction came too late. Had the two chances turn into goals the story would have been different.
Brazil had no answer late
The defeat against Norway came as a reality check for Brazil. They never played a convincing style and only played a solid game against Haiti in the group stage. The biggest factor however, was Neymar’s inclusion in the squad. He never really played in the tournament and when he did he was a ghost of the player he once was. Ironically, Neymar would retire from the national team following the defeat against Norway in the same ground where he made his first appearance with Brazil in 2016.
Norway’s historic run continues in the quarterfinals, having to face England in Miami. The best fixture of the upcoming round on paper, nevertheless, this World Cup has been filled with surprises lately. So expect a possible upset by Norway if Haaland continues to be in top form against England. The upcoming fixture will also start slapping up the golden boot race. Whoever loses will start defining the winner of the golden boot. Nevertheless, Norway is now in poll position to be considered one of the candidates for the title.
