Brazil vs Switzerland, FIFA World Cup 2018, Highlights: As it Happened
News18.com | June 18, 2018, 2:28 AM IST
Latest Update: Switzerland fight back and show great determination to keep Brazil out and clinch a crucial draw in Rostov. Neymar was below par all game, and Brazil lost their way in the second half as the Swiss came out of half time with a great heart to clinch a favourable result.
Catch all the live updates from the Group E clash between Brazil and Switzerland at the 2018 FIFA World Cup on News18Sports' live blog
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Jun 18, 2018 1:41 am (IST)
Brazil's Neymar ends the night with 10 fouls against committed him in today's game. Behrami and co singling him out for some special treatment. The former champions though weren't as good in attack as they would have wanted or hoped, with only 4 of 20 attempts being on target.
Jun 18, 2018 1:31 am (IST)
And guess who approves this determined performance by Switzerland's football team!
Full time: Brazil have been held to a 1-1 draw by Switzerland in Rostov.
Jun 18, 2018 1:25 am (IST)
Free-kick to Neymar in a dangerous position on the left. Very David Beckham range. It is a training ground routing and Renato Agusto's shot is deflected away for a corner that is cleared out. Switzerland's supporters are celebrating now.
Jun 18, 2018 1:23 am (IST)
At the other end, Neymar is really angry at the constant tackling and is pleading with the refs to be stricter with the Swiss. Tite meanwhile is passing on advice quickly as time runs out for Brazil.
Jun 18, 2018 1:22 am (IST)
Xhaka switches it out towards Shaqiri but Marcelo has it covered on the left flank.
Jun 18, 2018 1:21 am (IST)
Brazil have had 19 shots today and their accuracy has been less than 25 percent. That's four on target.
Jun 18, 2018 1:20 am (IST)
Chance: Miranda had a chance to shoot and it's just outside the frame of the goal. Does not seem like Brazil's half this. Minutes left in Rostov
Jun 18, 2018 1:19 am (IST)
Chance: Once again Brazil fail to convert as Neymar's inch perfect ball from the free-kick on the left finds Firmino but his header is well saved by Sommer.
Jun 18, 2018 1:18 am (IST)
Switzerland have attacked well through Shaqiri in the second half. They have soaked the Brazilian pressure and then hit them with force whenever possible.
Jun 18, 2018 1:17 am (IST)
Chance: After having been kept silent for most of the second half, Willian finds a pinpoint cross for Neymar to head home. The forward heads down Sommer's throat and Brazil still in search of the winner.
Jun 18, 2018 1:15 am (IST)
Dzemaili and Shaqiri have just gotten better with every minute in attack with Zuber and Rodriguez supporting them well. The Swiss have put in a lot of effort in the second half, a lot of grit in defense to ensure the Brazilians can't get their free flowing game going after the break. Brazil looking a far cry from the first half.
Jun 18, 2018 1:11 am (IST)
Almost a very costly lapse in concentration from Switzerland. Roberto Firmino's shot well over the goal though. Brazil have had only two shots on target, while the Swiss' big guns have come to the party in the second half. Showing more than a few glimpses of why they coasted through the qualifiers.
Jun 18, 2018 1:06 am (IST)
Neymar has a shot from distance just like Coutinho in the first half, but Sommer has it covered comfortably.
Jun 18, 2018 1:06 am (IST)
Switzerland have made things very tough for Brazil when they reach close to their attacking third. They have been organised and forced Brazil to play in front of them.
Jun 18, 2018 1:04 am (IST)
Marcelo to Neymar but he is stopped in his tracks as he cuts in from the left. Mostly the theme today so far. 15 minutes left in the game.
Jun 18, 2018 1:03 am (IST)
Neymar is having an extremely tough time with the close and physical marking from the Swiss.
Jun 18, 2018 1:01 am (IST)
Shaqiri in a lot of space on the right and he moves forward quickly to play Dzemaili in. The shot at Alisson isn't great and Brazil rebuild.
Jun 18, 2018 12:59 am (IST)
Chance: Neymar's ball to Coutinho is good and the Barcelona man makes space and fires it low and hard. But it was always bending away at the far post. Best chance for Brazil so far in 25 minutes of the first half which has seen Switzerland thwart Brazil completely and in fact take the attack to them with great enterprise.
Jun 18, 2018 12:57 am (IST)
Switzerland's young defender Akanji has played with a lot of heart in the centre of defense today against what is a formidable attack.
Jun 18, 2018 12:56 am (IST)
Neymar looks a little battered as he continues to get hauled down everytime he has a chance to create something. This time it was Behrami who took a yellow for the team.
Jun 18, 2018 12:54 am (IST)
Neymar once again down the left but this time Schar is alert and stops him. Pulls his shirt and takes a yellow card to stop the Brazil attack. Free-kick in a dangerous position. Neymar's delivery is of poor quality.
Jun 18, 2018 12:52 am (IST)
Shaqiri and Dzemaili are gaining confidence continously as Brazil look stretched. Xhaka and Rodriguez also getting into the act to help out.
Jun 18, 2018 12:50 am (IST)
Switzerland have found a couple of extra gears here and are outrunning Brazil so far in the second half. They are pressing their fancied opponents with great confidence. Brazil are losing their way a little as the passes are off target, Marcelo's cross field ball being the latest example as it is woefully of target.
Jun 18, 2018 12:48 am (IST)
Almost at the hour mark, and Casemiro has a wild attempt from distance. Well outside the frame of the goal with no chance of troubling Sommer.
Jun 18, 2018 12:47 am (IST)
Brazil are slowly but surely moving through the gears. Neymar as expected gets close attention and he seems to be wincing in pain. Not a good sign for the Brazilians. The Swiss are now defending with all their players as they look to soak up the Brazilian pressure.
Jun 18, 2018 12:45 am (IST)
Neymar has cut a very frustrated figure all night with Behrami doing well to keep an eye on him. Switzerland have begun the second half very strongly and are looking to build on that. Shaqiri this time trying to catch Alisson off-guard and off the line.
Jun 18, 2018 12:40 am (IST)
That was Switzerland's first effort on target in this match and while Brazil complain about a foul on Miranda, they have to raise their game against the Swiss who will have their tails up now.
Jun 18, 2018 12:38 am (IST)
GOAL: Switzerland equalise through Zuber who was unmarked in the box and Shaqiri found him with a pinpoint pass. 1-1 in Rostov.
Jun 18, 2018 12:37 am (IST)
Neymar picks it up in midfield and drives forward before combining with Coutinho, who plays it to Paulinho. The Barca man's pass to Gabriel Jesus is not the greatest.
Preview: While Brazil's stunning collapse in the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup is still fresh in most football fans' minds, the Selecao seem to have erased their memories of that 7-1 debacle against Germany. The eventual champions left Brazil in tears that night, but defender Marcelo, on the eve of their Group E opener against Switzerland at the Rostov Arena, insisted there were no psychological scars. "Man, these are things that happen in football. If there was a trauma, I would have retired from football," the 30-year-old Marcelo told reporters. "But there is no trauma. I have goals and I focus on them, I have new challenges all the time, and this year's World Cup is one of them, like also not getting hurt or making the transition from club football to international football. "I don't keep things in my head - not even the good things." Among those good things is a record of 17 wins, three draws and one defeat in Brazil's last 21 games. According to head coach Tite, that record gives the team "inner peace" as they gun for a sixth World Cup title, and their first since 2002. Asked how he was sleeping ahead of their games, Tite said: "I manage my ghosts and angst. I have a lot of experience with that. "I focus on what is important. There is a kind of inner peace that we've been building up." The 57-year-old Tite, who took over from Dunga in 2016, has also brought joy to a team that was left red-faced after their 2014 humiliation. "The professor has changed the face of the national team," said Marcelo. "He really prepares it all and then (assistant coach) Cleber also makes it easy for us to understand their methods. I'm not going to list all the good things they bring, but we are all focused on one goal which hopefully we will achieve." To help them reach their goal, Brazil will be relying heavily on forward Neymar, who is closing in on his best level after recovering from ankle surgery. "Neymar is not 100 percent yet, but he is privileged physically," said Tite. "His sprint capacities and his speed, he hasn't lost that." The 26-year-old Neymar signalled his return to form by scoring two goals in Brazil's warm-up games, one against Croatia and another against Austria on June 3 and 10, respectively.