Brasilia: The sinking feeling among a legion of die-hard fans has been shrugged off after Brazil dispelled doubts over their tournament credentials with a show, which has brought the wide grin back on the faces of their free-spirited supporters in the ongoing FIFA World Cup.
A 4-1 demolition of Cameroon in their last round robin game last night, after a none-too-impressive goalless outing against Mexico, meant the five-time champions were well and truly back.
And with the result, came back the country’s confidence in the team, which entered the ongoing edition as one of the firm favourites.
“There has been criticism around the team; they were not able to win the confidence of their many supporters. Because with Brazil, it’s not just always the scoreline but the manner in which they play, and they were not able to do that,” said Elcio Ramalho, a Brazilian-origin journalist working at Radio France Internationale.
But after today’s outing, they have earned the confidence of fans and look to be on their way,” he added.
Ramalho’s assessment was a far cry from the critical analysis carried out by journal O Globo of Rio de Janeiro and Estado de Sao Paulo a few days back.
And even before last night’s kick-off, the home fans seemed a bit worried about the team’s future in the tournament mand unimpressed with Fred’s wretched form, which prompted former England captain Alan Shearer to criticise Brazil coach Luis Felipe Scolari’s selection of the 30-year-old Fluminense striker.
Following Shearer’s criticism, Brazil and Barcelona right back Dani Alves hit out at the Englishman dubbing his comments “moronic”.
Fred may have finally found his name on the scoresheet in the Cameroon bashing, but looked far from being the force the team wants him to be upfront alongside the undisputed Neymar.
“I am not sure about his performance, I am not too impressed. They will have to improve their defence, though this victory has given us a reason to hope once again,” said Jessica while leaving the ground after the match.
A 3-1 victory against Croatia in the tournament opener
masked what was actually not a confident outing and the draw against Mexico took the team further down.
But the tide seemed to have changed now.
At the Estadio Nacional, the time was ripe for some samba. Chants of Brazil, Brazil could be heard though the match and the Mexican wave made its presence felt regularly.
