The excessive euphoria cannot take care of the players of the Brazilian team, but for the fans it is released. Today’s 4-1 victory against South Korea, in the round of 16 of the World Cup, dispelled the distrust of the reserve team’s defeat by Cameroon, in the last round of the first phase, and returned faith in the sixth world championship.
In a mall in Brasília, fans gathered in front of a big screen and followed the Brazilian classification. Already at halftime, with 4 to 0 on the scoreboard, the climate was of unshakable tranquility and optimism. “It is easier than I imagined. The result is more encouraging, it makes the sixth month more optimistic”, said accountant Plínio Marques.
Human resources manager Larissa Lemos is also excited about the performance of Tite’s men. “We are fine, I have faith that the sixth one will come this year”. For her, the team that Tite took to Qatar is better than the one in 2018, eliminated in the quarter-finals by Belgium. “I think the team is more confident than in 2018, it’s much better”.
And this opinion is not hers alone. Journalist Rodrigo Connor sees this Brazil better than the team that went to Russia. And for him, the fundamental difference is in the attack. “Mainly because there’s a striker who scores goals, right? In 2018, he didn’t score a goal, as he didn’t do this year either”, added the journalist referring to Gabriel Jesus, Tite’s starter in 2018, a substitute this year and already cut due to injury.
Guiding each pass by the players on the field, as if they could hear him, Rodrigo alternated a criticism of the team’s relaxation in the second half, demanding the fifth goal, with a sip of cold beer from the restaurant where he watched the game. After all, the Brazil game brings a holiday atmosphere on a simple Monday afternoon. Finally, he nailed it: “Hexa comes. After today the team packed, it’s beautiful”.
From the top of his 11 years, Vitor Dindo already shows enough maturity to analyze the Brazilian team. Accompanied by his father, he criticized those who booed the ball back to the goalkeepers; an important resource, according to him. “You can’t just play forward, you have to work the ball”.
For Vitor, this is the best Brazilian team he has ever seen play. “In 2014 I didn’t follow it much, but it was pretty sad, right? Compared to 2018, I think the midfield and attack have improved. The team is more organized”, he analyzed.
It remains for Tite and his players to confirm their favoritism in the next phase, against Croatia, and keep in Vitor the hope of lifting his first world title.
