Brazil and Switzerland tie 1-1 in their World Cup 2018 debuts

Brazil and Switzerland tie 1-1 in their World Cup 2018 debuts
Copyright REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff
By Euronews
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Brazil and Switzerland tie 1-1 in their World Cup 2018 debuts

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Brazil and Switzerland have tied 1-1 in their first game of the World Cup 2018.

The South American side finished the first half 1-0 up after Coutinho scored a wonderful goal but Switzerland's Zuber equalised at the 50-minute mark.

Brazil took all of their chances and were the more dominant side during the first half, as Switzerland struggled to get into the game.

However, the European team did eventually get into the game and began to send crosses into the Brazil box but they struggled to get past Brazil's defence until Zuber stepped up.

Five takeaways from Brazil vs Switzerland

Brazil are over four years ago

Four years ago, Brazil crashed out of their own World Cup to Germany when they lost 7-1. This match began with only one member on the team sheet being from that game. The players aren’t the same, the team has overcome the defeat and Brazil has found itself equipped with a range of weapons in its forwards and midfielders. They may not have won the game but Brazil had moments that demonstrated they were unfazed by their last World Cup game.

Switzerland can maintain their composure

They were 1-0 down for some time but they maintained their composure to come back and score. This shows that even though Brazil were dominating for the first half an hour, they still maintained their composure and created chances when they could.

Brazil have a strong side

From Marcello to Neymar, the team is packed with superstars. However, as the game went on Brazil started to lose momentum to Switzerland. During this moment the South-American powerhouse were able to take off key players and replace them with the likes of Firmino. This shows that if one or two kingpins become injured up front, the side has backups.

Switzerland grew into the game

As the match started, Brazil were the more powerful side but 30 minutes in Switzerland became more confident. This allowed the European side to get to the stage where they could score their goal. When it comes to playing in their other group games, this is something other teams should be wary about when facing Switzerland.

It isn’t all about Neymar

While Neymar may be the €200-million man, the game didn't revolve around him. He took corners and free kicks, but the whole team worked as a unit. Normally, an international side has one or two great players, but Brazil had several — a strong front four, with even more options on the bench. It is no surprise they were one of the favourites going into the tournament.

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