F365 Says: All hail Brazil and Barcelona’s marathon man

Matt Stead

The shame for Brazil is that they could not join the rest of the world in pointing and laughing at the bully suffering their comeuppance. They had to ignore the commotion, to disregard the noise. As the crowd gathered and South Korea pushed Germany to the ground to reduce them to tears, the Selecao could only snigger in silence.

Brazil had their own obstacles to overcome before indulging in the world’s collective schadenfreude. Four years on from their 7-1 semi-final humiliation against Germany, one team finished top of their group while the other was left stranded at the bottom of theirs.

Brazil would rather have administered a more personal dose of revenge, but this was a fine alternative.

After the comparative stroll of qualifying, Group E was more of a stumble – although it led to the exact same conclusion. An unconvincing win over Serbia followed last-gasp victory against Costa Rica and a frustrating opening draw with Switzerland, but Brazil finished top of the pile; the favourites remain unbeaten and largely unshaken.

The form of Neymar is still a concern, but that is offset by the emerging brilliance of Philippe Coutinho. His decisive goals in Brazil’s first two games afforded them a little breathing space before Wednesday’s game, meaning they were in less jeopardy than some of the other leading nations ahead of the final match. It was a positive, but also invited the danger of complacency.

Brazil started brightly as a unit but, as in the previous two games, dimmed when the goal was not forthcoming. There was a nervous energy, an agitation, as if collectively weighed down by expectation. They will either shift through the gears seamlessly in the knockouts or stall in spectacular fashion.

Coutinho seems increasingly immune to the pressure. It was his sumptuous pass that helped break the deadlock, dallying and delaying to wait for the perfect moment to release the ball after surging through midfield. Paulinho barely had to break his stride: his run was perfectly timed, and his finish was wonderfully executed.

If there is an unsung hero in this Brazil side, it is Paulinho. He has now scored eight goals for the national team since Tite ended his two-year exile in 2016; only Neymar and Gabriel Jesus have been more prolific (both ten) under this manager. He has helped form the crucial midfield trio upon which Brazil rely.

Perhaps most impressive is that this was Paulinho’s 94th game for club and country since February 2017, and his 72nd start. He has played the equivalent of one match every 5.2 days over the past 16 months, travelling from the Far East to South America, with trips throughout Europe thrown in for good measure.

This is a player who enjoyed a longer summer break this season than last. He played his final game for Guangzhou Evergrande on August 10 last year, and made his Barcelona debut 16 days later. The gap from his last Barcelona match to Brazil’s first World Cup warm-up was 25 days.

Brazil and Barcelona’s marathon man has barely had a chance to stop for breath. That he has recovered his place with the former and restored his reputation at the latter in the meantime is astonishing. He is as relentless as his schedule.

It was the closest Tite could come to a compliment that he removed the midfielder with just under half an hour remaining. Paulinho is crucial to the cause, keeping Fernandinho out of the line-up. The mere utterance of his name might be enough to generate bursts of laughter from England, but he is starting ahead of a Premier League champion for a reason.

Germany will understandably dominate the headlines for the days to come, but those dedicated to Brazil will concentrate on Coutinho’s inspired form, or Neymar’s struggles. It is not in Paulinho’s nature to demand the spotlight, but he most certainly deserves it.

Matt Stead