Modric's Croatia, the only 'Brazilian' in Qatar, leads Brazil to collapse and makes Neymar cry

If we understand Brazil as the promised land of football, the only Brazilian in Qatar was

.

This little

from Croatia repeats the Russian fairy tale.

The penalties called her back, as against Japan, as in the round of 16 and quarterfinals of the past World Cup, but not after an act of resistance from Numanta.

No. Croatia knew how to collapse Brazil with their dominance in the first half, lean on their goalkeeper in the second, a finding in this tournament, and come back in extra time the goal with which

wanted to see the path of redemption open.

He didn't even launch the fifth of the shootout due to errors by

and

.

The tears with which he left the pitch of the Education City Stadium, embraced by

, are the tears of something very different: the crucifixion.

Neymar had achieved an excellent goal, relying on Rodrygo and

, two walls in the area, to finally beat a

who had stopped everything.

In the middle of extra time, which had been reached goalless, they thought they had it all.

They were wrong.

If any team has learned to play against adversity it is Croatia.

That is an essential quality in the World Cup.

Hence its permanence, despite having lost most of its finalists in Russia.

Only seven remain.

In addition to Modric,

,

,

,

and

, who has not played but is an emotional pillar.

In that World Cup of emotions that Spain has failed and Brazil has succumbed to, with

substituted on the most important day, Croatia is the champion.

The title demands more things.

We will see.

WITHOUT A PLAN B

Either Brazil breaks loose or collapses.

It does not give the impression of having a tactical plan, beyond the disposition of its players.

You have plans that are individual plans.

When there is so much talent, there is no better plan.

Croatia is the opposite.

It has Modric and Perisic, two footballers who would be starters in this Brazil, but before them is the mold.

After long periods of crisis, Brazil has sought tactical solutions that have given it less to obey the nature of its talents.

gives them free rein.

The problem comes when they don't come off.

This is what happened at Education City, where their four strikers started lined up, more even than a defense.

Vinicus and

on the lines;

Neymar, like a 10. The range of the PSG player is in line with his experience, but not with his legs.

They are not the ones from before.

In the band, he exploded;

here, he thinks.

He got the goal for it.

The explosions are expected from the madridista and the azulgrana.

Vini had become the expected solution, a fact that poses a constant threat to the rival but also an advantage: you know where and how he is going to try.

Another thing is to stop it.

In the rooms, he was not needed.

He stood alone.

LONG CROATIAN POSSESSIONS

Thus, Brazil had no surprise factor in a first half territorially dominated by Croatia.

In those situations, Modric is the smartest, commanding very long possessions that made Brazil run without the ball and despair.

Perisic missed a deadly cross and fired in, but the Balkans had little presence for their dominance.

Not fitting in is always his little victory.

The longer the match, the more times Croatia wins.

This time, he not only made it long, but he traced it back.

Tité's team had not done much on the contrary either, just a wall between Vinicius and

that ended with a soft shot from the Brazilian.

A little bit.

Something happened in the locker room and he decided to get agitated in the locker room, but after a feint from Vinicius and a shot from Neymar, launched into space by Richarlison, he stopped again.

Fear was starting to play.

VINICIUS, OUT

The decision of the Brazilian coach was blunt and courageous: Rapinha and Vinicius, out.

He was not wrong.

and Rodrygo

entered, who is one of the footballers who had offered the most variables to Brazil in their appearances.

The Real Madrid player doesn't need to let loose, he knows how to play in the woods, which is what Croatia was beginning to be.

Of all the attackers, only Richarlison had done interesting things, in conflict with the Croatian central defenders, such as supporting Vini or passing Neymar, but without a goal.

Livakovic, Croatian hero in the round of 16, beat Neymar one-on-one and then a shot almost right in front of Paquetá.

He had a lot to prove.

Lots of goalkeeper.

After this, he won't stay at Dinamo Zagreb for long.

Brazil's acceleration did not allow him to avoid extra time, but he kept it up until he found Neymar in his best version, in the goal.

So it was necessary to think, to know how to play, and what Brazil did was go in search of the second goal, already drunk from the victory that they believed to be certain, without order.

A turnover found

off the hook, he handed off

' leg

did the rest.

At the penalty spot they had already lost.

Rodrygo, with his first mistake, made it clear.

Neymar did not launch.

He cried, like most of the crowd.

How Brazil cries.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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• Brazil Soccer Team

• Croatian Soccer Team

• Luka modric

• neymar