PHILADELPHIA. This became the transport route and the holiday that the pressed Brazilian players needed.
But it wasn’t goosebump-inducing in any way.
And it wasn’t just the glass walls’ fault.
It can’t be easy being a Brazilian national team player anyway.
After a rather non-confidence-inspiring and blunt performance in the 1-1 opener against Morocco, the “Seleção” stepped into tonight’s event against Haiti with basically everything to lose beforehand.
After all, anything other than a walk-off victory felt unthinkable and unacceptable based on the sky-high demands that (always) exist on the most successful nation in World Cup history of all time. A huge Brazilian audience and an equally huge Brazilian press corps expected nothing less.
Against a Haiti that rather had everything to win.
The line for the media entrance in Philadelphia was long. Photo: Makoto Asahara
Hope lived for just over a quarter of an hour
That the small, disaster-stricken, Caribbean country made it to a football World Cup is an achievement in itself, regardless of the fact that it is a largely “recruited” national team.
The fact that they generally, for at least twenty minutes, resisted and even countered in front of the Brazilian penalty area is almost sensational if you look at the difference between the teams player by player.
They still had a game and a support that made you feel that maybe, maybe this could be a David vs. Goliath story. Or Rocky vs Apollo, if we’re going to speak Philly language.
But… no.
Huge celebrations after 1-0
When Matheus Cunha tapped in a free rebound from a Vinicius Junior finish, it was as if all the pressure, nerves and potential, underlying anxiety and frustration completely disappeared from a Brazilian team that wildly and unison celebrated the 1-0 goal.
Just the fact that that brass bench was emptied in celebration of a relatively early lead goal against Haiti says a lot about how pressured the Brazilian players actually were by the demands of success placed upon them.
But there, too, more or less the event died in every way – and the brass had to surf towards an almost secured playoff spot in peace.
Matheus Cunha, this time directly played by Vini Junior, thundered in 2-0 in the first cross.
Then the latter Real Madrid star would also add a goal to his own account with a 3-0 before the break.
Of course, the glazing of the press box (an American nuisance which is unfortunately the rule rather than the exception in NFL stadiums) greatly affects the feeling and judgement.
But when the 3-0 came, it didn’t feel like it sounded that much off the glass either.
Not even a Bon Jovi sing-along and intermission light show could wake this event up – if anyone but the promoter thought so.
This is what a press box looks like for writing journalists at NFL stadiums. Photo: Makoto Asahara
Like a meaningless baseball game
The second half was a transport route that went all the more friction-free than transport routes in North America usually go.
With a handful of “mood spikes” along the way from over 65,000 spectators (who otherwise sounded like they were across the street watching an already playoff-hungry Phillies in Round 124 of the MLB).
It was 3-0. A result which, after all, is probably not supposed to be superior and dominant enough to prevent the Brazilian players and Carlo Ancelotti from also receiving some critical questions from the mega-large Brazilian press corps (so large that a Swedish media representative did not have a place in the mixed zone).
“What weren’t you happy with?” was the first question he was asked after all.
Vinicius Junior’s form bodes well
Having said that – some pressure probably came off the Brazilian’s shoulders after this.
Because they got the victory they needed. They do not need to worry at critical levels about a potential slip-up against Scotland in the final group stage – when progression should be all but assured with four points recorded.
And above all, Vinicius Junior actually looked, even this evening, like the world-class player he has been at club team level but has rarely been in national team uniforms. That alone bodes very well for Carlo Ancelotti and his Brazil.
Strange question after the price
Having said that.
The first question Vinicius was asked in the official Fifa interview after winning the player of the match award was what he eats with beer when he celebrates with his friends in Brazil.
– I don’t drink beer, but eat a lot of rice and beans, like we do in Brazil, he answered.
That says it all about what kind of picnic event this actually was.
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