Highlights Brazil vs Costa Rica, FIFA World Cup 2018, Match 24 in Saint Petersburg Stadium: Coutinho, Neymar win it for Samba Boys

The second-half statistics!

Courtesy: FIFA 

Coutinho, the main man for Brazil? 

Most shots during #BRA vs. #CRC:

🇧🇷 Philippe Coutinho (6)
🇧🇷 Neymar (5)
🇧🇷 Marcelo (3)

The Costa Rican team combined had three between them. pic.twitter.com/dRt10LHomE

— Squawka (@Squawka) June 22, 2018

BRA 2-0 CRC

​Neymar is in tears. It will be interesting to hear what Tite has to say about all this. At least, Brazil have gotten their campaign up and running in earnest.

BRA 2-0 CRC

Drama every day at the World Cup and that’s two! Brazil carve through the midfield and it’s a neat attack – Casemiro, Douglas Costa and Neymar at the end of it. The superstar gets his goal and it is hugs all around. Tite hugs Marcelo, Neymar hugs Coutinho.

Brazil celebrate and Costa Rica are out. At least the Ticos have the consolation that they’d win the literary World Cup with Bolanos and Borges in their ranks. Coutinho was Brazil’s outstanding player.

Full-time! BRA 2-0 CRC

Crazy, crazy finish to the match. Brazil tried so hard for 90 minutes to break the deadlock. It came with the help of Coutinho and then Neymar added to the goal tally with a good finish. He was frustrated for a very long time but he found a way to turn this match into a joyous one. 

It’s tough on Costa Rica. They defended with grit but Brazil’s attacking quality was just too much for them.

90 + 6’ BRA 2-0 CRC

Arnav: Neymar gets a goal to redeem himself. I can’t say he deserves a goal today though, and I don’t think Brazil deserve a two-goal victory either.

90 + 6! BRA 2-0 CRC

NEYMAR IT IS! 

It’s all over! Neymar gets his goal and he must be a very relieved man!

90+4’ BRA 1-0 CRC

What a miss! That shot from FIrmino looked like the ball was filled with helium

90+3’ BRA 1-0 CRC

Arnav: Absolutely heartbreaking for Costa Rica! They’d done so well until this point. Late goals really are a trend in this tournament.

90+3’ BRA 1-0 CRC

Absolute pandemonium in St Petersburg. Did you see Tite taking a tumble?! For all the right reasons. Brazil’ general coordinator Edu Gaspar was besides himself! Incredible scenes. Brazil have broken through. But Tite hasn’t lost his head. Jesus is off and Fernandinho is on to reinforce the midfield.

90+1’ BRA 1-0 CRC

OH BRAZIL! It took so long but finally it comes and it’s from Coutinho. Firmino heads the ball down inside the box, Jesus takes the crucial touch and Coutinho buries it. 

Heartbreak for Costa Rica!

90’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Six minutes of added time. Six minutes for Brazil to score!

89’ BRA 0-0 CRC

​Navas is an absolute colossus! If Costa Rica hold on, he will be my man of the match. Navas is an absolute colossus! If Costa Rica hold on, he will be my man of the match.

88’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Arnav: Good to see the referee taking charge of this game. With that reversed penalty call, his credibility might have been questioned, but he’s now shown that he will not tolerate any petulance from either side.

87’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Costa Rica’s time wasting is as obnoxious as Neymar’s childish behaviour.

83’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Quick succession of yellow cards for Brazil, both Neymar and Coutinho booked. Brazil have got their emotional tone wrong.

82’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Two yellow cards in quick time. One for Neymar for showing his frustration and one for Coutinho for arguing with the referee.

81’ BRA 0-0 CRC

The dark arts! Neymar forces a penalty. All the tumbling has come good, but the replay shows he, well, tumbled. Pathetic! Kuipers reviews and applies justice. Neymar grins, but he is not helping Brazil. He oversold and it was visible.

80’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Arnav: Well, well well. When I said we needed a moment of magic from Neymar, I didn’t mean a piece of theatrics. In my book, that’s a shocking dive.

77’ BRA 0-0 CRC

PENALTY!

And it’s foul on Neymar by Gonzalez. 

This time, the decision went his way. Oh wait wait, the referee takes the help of VAR and he decided against it. No joy for Brazil

Arnav: The harder Neymar tries, the more difficult it seems to get for him. It really doesn’t look like his day. Douglas Costa on the other wing and Coutinho through the middle look more threatening at this point. But with Neymar, you know that a moment of magic is never impossible.

75’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Change for Costa Rica

Francisco Calvo replaces Christian Gamboa

73’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Bolanos has shored up Costa Rica in midfield and brought back more defensive stability. Brazil now have Firmino, Jesus, Neymar and Coutinho on the pitch. Can they unlock these competent Costa Rican defenders? Neymar almost pounces on a loose control from Gambao, but misses the target.

72’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Another opportunity for Neymar and nothing out of it. He tries for a curler, running diagonally, but the ball is inches wide from the goal.

70’ BRA 0-0 CRC

​Arnav: Finally! Firmino is coming on. That’s more like it. Can he and Coutinho rekindle their Liverpool-era partnership. Brasil have been much improved in the last few minutes, and Firmino’s intelligent movement can help to open up Costa Rica’s defense further.

69’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Neymar surges ahead with nobody in the front but Oviedo with a great piece of defending denies the shot.

67’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Brazil are looking to change things around with Firmino. Out goes Paulinho.

So that means Brazil will play with two strikers up front.

65’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Costa Rica can breathe. After 15 minutes of intense pressure, Brazil have relented somewhat. Neymar had a perfect opportunity to release Douglas Costa, but was yet again imprecise. Costa Rica trying to move their defensive line higher up, but it’s still Brazil with the possession.

63’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Arnav: Both defenses seem to have lost a bit of their concentration and structure. We’re seeing more last-ditch stuff from both sides now, lots of jumps, hacks and somersaults to block the ball.

60’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Dutch referee Kuipers reprimands Neymar. About time someone did that.

58’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Arnav: That Keylor Navas save reminded me of his heroics at the last world cup. The second-half has started much better than the first.

58’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Paulinho has also been sighted in the box, which is an encouraging sign for Brazil. Costa Rica make a first change. Bolanos is a polyvalent midfielder, who can play up front. Venegas, however, is leading the line.

56’ BRA 0-0 CRC

SAVE from Navas. Paulinho delivers a lovely ball to Neymar in the middle, the forward was all set to celebrate only for Navas to spoil the party. This has been that kind of game for Neymar.

55’ BRA 0-0 CRC

First change for Costa Rica. 

Bolanos comes in and Urena goes out.

53’ BRA 0-0 CRC

That was coming…well, not just yet, but Brazil pile on the pressure. Some neat interplay, Jesus’ header kissing the woodwork and a succession of corners. They are playing with urgency. Fagner, the right-back, has been asked to move forward a bit more.

50’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Gosh! Two outstanding chances for Brazil. First one from Jesus as his header hits the post, and then Coutinho tries to drill the ball inside the net only for Navas to save it.

48’ BRA 0-0 CRC

First good chance of the second-half belongs to Neymar. He gets the ball inside the box but fails when it comes to control.

46’ BRA 0-0 CRC

The polar opposite of the 2002 encounter. Costa Rica have had the best chance and Brazil lack a cutting edge. Neymar simply spends his time complaining. Tite rolls the dice. Willian, who was very bleak, is replaced by Douglas Costa.

45’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Second-half is underway! Brazil have introduced Douglas Costa and removed Willian.

Here are the half-time stats! 

Courtesy: FIFA

BRA 0-0 CRC

Arnav: It’s been an entertaining contest here. But neither side deserves to be ahead

BRA 0-0 CRC

Costa Rica have frustrated Brazil. They were always going to defend with many bodies and Tite’s team haven’t found any solutions. Brazil’s game has been pedestrian. Willian and Paulinho were very underwhelming, but there is a sense that Neymar, yet again, and Gabriel Jesus, have the  emotional tone of this game wrong. They have been targeted, but there is no need to tumble around all the time. The pair are doing  Brazil a disservice. A fascinating second half awaits.

Half-time’ BRA 0-0 CRC

There were opportunities and most of them belonged to Brazil but they have nothing to show for it. Neymar, Coutinho and Marcelo did most of the attack from left. Costa Rica will be happy with their performance in the first 45 minutes. The plan was to defend and they did a good job at it.

43’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Arnav: Thiago Silva is absolutely immense for his team.

42’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Another long shot from the left by Marcelo but Keylor Navas makes no mistake.

40’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Costa Rica long for half-time, pinned back in their own half; Brazil want that goal at all costs before the break. They have struggled to break down Costa Rica’s 5-4-1 formation. Paulinho and Willian, who has been so excellent in recent friendlies, have offered far too little.

38’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Brazil get their first corner in the 38th minute. There were shouts of penalty during the corner when Paulinho took a tumble but referee says no. Even the VAR thinks it’s not a penalty.

34’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Arnav: This last spell has been much better from Brazil. If they can score before half-time the floodgates may open. If not, we will probably see a draw or narrow victory for either side. Either way, we’re in for an interesting hour of play!

33’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Those first twenty minutes from Brazil were painfully slow. They are taking route one now, balls over the top and running in behind the Costa Rican defense. Very simple, but it has Costa Rica stretched. Neymar should score, but it’s for all to see he is not in top form. That first touch was too heavy. Marcelo and Coutinho shoot from outside the box. The danger is coming from everywhere now. Brazil beginning to assert themselves.

32’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Chances, chances and more chances for Brazil. Neymar with another surging run, chips the ball to Jesus but Costa Rica defender intercepts the cross and heads the ball away.

Arnav: Got deja vu a minute ago when Coutinho let fly.

29’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Not surprising that Brazil are attacking from the left. Marcelo looks threatening going forward while Neymar and Coutinho are also trying to create chances from the left-wing.

27’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Tite and his assistants – Cleber Xavier and Sylvinho – look very worried – and rightly so, this Brazilian team is very ‘sterile.’ They need a spark, an acceleration. Finally, Jesus delivers it, but from an offside position.

26’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Jesus scores but wait a minute, it’s ruled offside. There’s no debating with that decision.

Arnav: Don’t these teams practice free kicks? Spain had a bunch of them against Iran, Uruguay had plenty against Saudi, and Brazil have had lots already. None of these teams have been able to maximize their free-kicks. Maybe that’s what happened when you’re basically guaranteed to have a penalty every other game.

Arnav: A sea of defenders surround Neymar the second he gets on the ball. It looks like the Costa Ricans have taken a leaf out of the playbook of Croatia and Iceland, who have shackled Messi in recent games.

24’ BRA 0-0 CRC

What must Tite be thinking? Neymar is showboating against Gamboa on the left. There is a time and place for it, but not today, not at the World Cup. Besides, he is on the floor more than anything else. Costa Rica won’t mind. They are happy with proceedings in what is turning out to be a fascinating contest. The Costa Ricans are sitting deep and absorbing the pressure. On the right, they have identified Marcelo as Brazil’s weak spot.

22’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Costa Rica are not intimidated by Brazilian superstars. Defensively, they are playing their game. They are man-marking Neymar and not giving him much space.

18’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Very jittery from Brazil. Costa with a major incursion into the Brazilian box. That was all too easy for the Ticos, but Borges squandered a glorious chance. With Marcelo, Neymar and Coutinho on the left, Brazil can be vulnerable and unbalanced. In a recent friendly, Austria also exploited that weakness.

17’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Arnav: If Brazil are going to do anything exciting, it will come from Willian. You read it here first.

13’ BRA 0-0 CRC

What a chance! Borges gets space in the box and he should’ve buried the chance but he hits the ball wide. Brazil have to be careful during counter-attack.

10’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Arnav: Still waiting for Neymar to remind me he’s on the pitch…

9’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Brazil in blue – Zenit the local club will like that – want to impose themselves early on. Coutinho threatens from just outside the box. Brazil won’t mind that, but they’d be happy for someone else to break the deadlock. There is an awful lot of space in behind Costa Rica’s central midfielders Borges and Guzman. At the other end, Thiago Silva makes a crucial intervention to stop Urena. The PSG player has been accused of being too slow, but that tackle was an apt demonstration of his skills. The boys in blue are dominating. They will seek an early goal to settle their nerves.

Arnav: This is exactly what I’d expected: Brazil in control and looking to penetrate, while Costa Rica search for opportunities to counter. So far, the only thing unusual about this game is Brazil playing in blue. Seeing the Selecao in any colour other than blue is pretty jarring.

4’ BRA 0-0 CRC

First chance for Brazil. Coutinho takes a shot from outside the box but the ball sails over the post.

Arnav: Hello folks. As we begin this game, I’d just like to talk about how nice it is to see Bryan Ruiz taking the field. He was a joy to watch at Brazil 2014.

1’ BRA 0-0 CRC

Alright then. The national anthems are done and the play starts at the Saint Petersburg Stadium.

Quite a view from the press box! 

Neymar needs to do little less today

‘Messy’ will have served as a warning for the five times world champions. They can’t rely simply on Neymar – in fact, he needs to do a little less. Costa Rica can be tricky opponents. Their coach has downplayed a rebellion among his players following the narrow defeat by Serbia. Oscar Ramirez has said that Brazil are vulnerable on set pieces. Well, it’s been that kind of a World Cup, I guess.

Just the one change for Costa Rica. Francisco Calvo makes way for Sunderland legend Bryan Oviedo. Bryan Ruiz, their captain, is a man to watch.

All thanks to Argentina and Messi

Btw, Brazilians in great spirits here. So much schadenfreude about ‘Messy.’ They simply can’t stop laughing.

The Neymar conundrum

Brazil’s coach makes once enforced change with Fagner from Corinthians replacing the injured Danilo. Fagner isn’t the most secure full-back though when under pressure. Tite has given the captaincy – his rotating the armband during the tournament – to Thiago Silva, which is a remarkable choice as the PSG player four years ago embodied Brazil’s mental collapse on home soil. Then there is the Neymar conundrum: will he play a little less selfishly? As Marcel Desailly put it: “It is time for Neymar to start playing for the team and not himself.”

Neymar often slowed down the play against Switzerland and lost possession seven times. There are reports that Tite has reprimanded his star players, but he denied that in yesterday’s press conference. Has the Brazil coach indulged his star player simply too much? So much intrigue in the Brazil camp!

‘Brazil will be nervous’

Remember the last time these two teams met at a World Cup? That was in 2002 in the Far East and, boy, was it fun. Rivaldo, Ronaldo (who is here today) and co ran riot against the Costa Ricans, 5-2. That said, Brazil will be nervous going into this game after their paltry 1-1 draw with Switzerland last week – or at least that is the word from my Brazilian colleagues. They have endured a tough week – the fault on Miranda, Neymar’s little niggles and Danilo’s injury. Brazil coach Tite likes balance and control. He got anything but in the last few days.

Hello and welcome from St Petersburg. A magnificent city and a magnificent venue for these Group E clash between Brazil, the spiritual owners of the game, and Costa Rica, the 2014 surprises. It’s a bit chilly and overcast at the Gulf of Finland, but the yellow and blue of Brazil has taken of Russia’s cultural capital. We should be in for an entertaining 90 minutes.

Image Courtesy: Samindra Kunti

Watch Firstpost writer Samindra Kunti previews Brazil vs Costa Rica from the Saint Petersburg Stadium

Will Neymar make an impact today?

Good news for Brazil is their star forward Neymar is fit and he’s starting the game. There were concerns regarding his availability for today’s match because of an ankle problem, but not anymore.

He didn’t have a great game against Switzerland so he has a thing or two to prove against Costa Rica.

One change for Brazil

Injured right-back Danilo has been replaced by Fagner. For Costa Rica, Francisco Calvo comes in for Bryan Oviedo.

Starting line-ups of both the teams are out:

Brazil: Alisson; Fagner, Silva, Miranda, Marcelo; Casemiro, Paulinho, Coutinho; Willian, Jesus, Neymar.

Costa Rica: Navas; Acosta, Gonzalez, Duarte; Gamboa, Borges, Guzman, Oviedo; Ruiz, Venegas; Urena.

Family time ️⚽️❤️️@MarceloM12 enjoys a lovely moment with his son Liam during #BRA training pic.twitter.com/zCm83t26YC

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 19, 2018

What Costa Rican skipper had to say: 

Captain Bryan Ruiz is hoping his side can become the latest to slow down one of the tournament favourites to keep their adventure going.

“You’ve seen already there have been plenty of surprises,” Ruiz said, although Brazil have won nine of 10 previous meetings with Los Ticos.

🙌 Matchday 9 🙌

Featuring...#BRA vs #CRC#NGA vs #ISL #SRB vs #SUI

😎 pic.twitter.com/5Enak979lp

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 22, 2018

AFP reports:

While Neymar sporadically showed flashes of his genius against Switzerland, he appeared to slow Brazil down at other times rather than keep the ball moving.

But Tite quashed rumours he has told the 26-year-old to play more in the team’s best interests.

“Absolutely not. The information you got is not true,” Tite responded to a Brazilian journalist. “All of the players have this responsibility of playing for the collective (good) and being individuals.”

Thiago Silva will skipper the side as Tite continues his policy of rotating the captaincy, and the PSG centre-back admitted there is little margin for error.  

“It’s going to be a very difficult match given (Costa Rica’s) loss in the first match, and a draw for us. There’s pressure on both sides,” Silva said.

“You must keep a cool head to play well and have a good performance.”

Talking points ahead of the match

Brazil star Neymar is expected to start despite hobbling out of a training session on Tuesday.

The PSG forward, who broke a bone in his right foot in February, felt pain in his right ankle but took part in another session on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Costa Rica will look to emulate Switzerland’s efforts when they take on Tite’s side, who shared the spoils with the Swiss.

The Los Ticos now face an uphill task to progress after losing 1-0 to Serbia.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the day’s first match, which is Brazil vs Costa Rica. We’ll be providing live updates of the match, with inputs from our contributors in Russia. Stay tuned for more…