Brazil edge gritty Switzerland to gain round of 16 World Cup spot

 Resolute Switzerland keep Brazil at bay for most of the match, but Casemiro’s audacious strike breaks the deadlock.

Brazil edge gritty Switzerland to gain round of 16 World Cup spot

A superb finish by Casemiro is enough to give Brazil victory over Switzerland and guarantee a place in the knock-out stages of the football World Cup in Qatar.

Brazil’s coach, Tite, had named nine forwards to his squad, but it took a defensive midfielder to break the scoreless deadlock in the 83rd minute of Monday’s match. Casemiro made an audacious strike from the outside of his boot, which took a tiny deflection off defender Manuel Akanji’s backside.

The result at Stadium 974 means Brazil, five-time world champions, qualify comfortably for the round of 16 with a game against Cameroon still to play in the group stage of the tournament.

Switzerland sit second in Group G after a thrilling six-goal draw between Serbia and Cameroon earlier in the day left both teams with a point each.

Brazil forward Neymar stayed at the team’s hotel, treating a right ankle injury sustained in the opener against Serbia. Team doctors have not yet given a timetable for his return – or said if he will return at all. In his absence, former Watford striker Richarlison took centre stage in Brazil’s attack but couldn’t find a way to score and was substituted for Gabriel Jesus in the 74th minute.

Switzerland managed not a single shot on target but were able to keep Brazil at bay for the majority of the match. The scoreless first half was a fairly even-handed affair.

Vinicius Jr thought he had given Brazil the lead with a shot from inside the area after a pass by Casemiro in the 64th minute, but a video review spotted Richarlison offside in the build-up to the strike.

After Casemiro’s lightning 83rd minute goal, Brazil looked likely to score a second – despite a brief flurried counterattack from the Swiss – as Vinicius Jr tried to take on Akanji when he could have passed. Moments later, he instead fed a ball to Rodrygo, only to see the forward’s shot blocked out for a corner.

Brazil, who have not lost a World Cup group stage game in 17 matches, are the second team to qualify for the round of 16 after defending world champions France.

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