Kroos missile rescues 10-man Germany

The biggest change for Brazil at this World Cup is not on the field, or on the training ground, or even in the dressing-room. It's on the team sheet.

For the first time since 1974 Brazil have arrived at a World Cup without a player better known by his nickname than his given name.

Brazilian players usually go by one name but while they might all sound exotic to foreign ears, there is a big difference between those who use their given names and those better known by their nicknames.

This year there are no little coins (Tostao in Portuguese), no superheroes (Hulk), and none of the seven dwarves (Dunga, or Dopey).

In their place are Fred, Douglas and Marcelo, names that would not be out of place in a London accountant's office.

The slow death of the Brazilian nickname is a consequence of football becoming more corporate and less irreverent, said Marvio dos Anjos, sports editor at Rio de Janeiro newspaper O Globo.

From an early age, players now aim to become brands and that is harder if you are named after a body part, such as Bigode (Moustache); a nationality, such as Alemao (German, because he was blonde and blue-eyed); or a colour, like Branco (White, because he was the only white player in a team of Afro-Brazilians).

"Agents and the directors of football clubs have stopped players from using nicknames," Dos Anjos said.

"If your name is Hulk then you will be painted green and made to look like your name. It is a way to neutralise any irony or folklore and make them seem more serious."

Had seriousness been a factor in years gone by the story of Brazilian football would be very different.

Instead of Pele, a nonsensical name he picked up as a child, the record books would be filled with the legend of Edson Arantes do Nascimento.

Garrincha, who was named after one of the birds he so loved, would be known as Manuel dos Santos, a name as common in Brazil as John Smith is in England.

And rather than chant the name of Zico, one of their most illustrious successors, fans would sing the praises of Arthur Antunes Coimbra.

Brazilian supporters might not care what their players are called if they win the World Cup for the sixth time and many foreign ears will not even notice the change.

But the standardisation of monikers has drained some colour from the most vivid of all footballing nations, according to Dos Anjos.

"You start to see that they are taking some of the fun out the game,” he said.

It was a typical German show of grit and guts: never-say-die till the long whistle.  

Tied 1-1 and down to 10 men, deep into injury time against a highly spirited Sweden, their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread, the Germans stepped up to find a winner through a stunning strike from midfielder Toni Kroos. An absolute heart-stopper!

It was 95 minutes into the game and possibly the last German shot at goal when the defending champions won a free kick yards off the left side of the box. The most common tendency would have been to scoop the ball high into the penalty area for a teammate to head home or to create a scoring opportunity from a goalmouth melee.

But Kroos chose not to leave the last shot to chance. He appeared cool, composed and almost mechanical in a nerve-fraying situation. Teammate Marco Reus stopped his light tap on the ball for Kroos to step up and fire in the ball that sailed smoothly over the heads of leaping defenders, curved slightly to evade the outstretched hands of Swedish goalkeeper before slamming into the net at the far post. A perfectly guided Kroos missile numbed the Swedish into disbelief and sent German fans into frenzy.    

The margin of error was minuscule and more often than not that shot by most players would have sailed wide and high. But Kroos got everything right in this exquisite shot, executed with machine-like precision to deny Sweden a well-deserved draw and prove how prophetic was the quote of former England captain Gary Lineker.

"Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win," lamented Lineker following defeat at the hands of the Germans in the World Cup semifinal in 1990.

The goal means Germany still need a win in their final World Cup game against South Korea, and will have to hope that results go in their favour in the Sweden-Mexico game.

Interestingly, scoring match-winning goals in the final minutes goes well with the typical German mentality. In the 1954 World Cup, when Germany was divided and played qualifiers as East and West, West Germany lost a group game 8-3 to the fabled Hungarian side. Against the same side in the final West Germany were 2-0 down within eight minutes of the kick-off, but before 20 minutes had been played the game was 2-2 and Germany took the lead in the end.

England were the victims of West Germany's habit of pulling late surprises in the quarterfinal of 1970 World Cup. Franz Beckenbauer inspired West Germany to equal England's two-goal lead before pulling off a 3-2 win in stoppage time. Four years later in the next World Cup, West Germany upset tournament favourites Netherlands by winning a late spot-kick and scoring from it.

However, the late German revival of June 23 seized the spotlight from a brilliant Belgium performance. Belgium threw a grim warning once again to other title aspirants by routing Tunisia 5-2, with each of their two superstars -- Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku -- scoring twice.

This Belgian side is certainly blessed with an abundance of talent, and has the ability to go all the way, shocking lots of heavyweights in the process. Trust me, Belgium are the tournament's dark horses.

The writer is former Sports Editor of The Daily Star

Brazil will look to start from where they had left off against Serbia when they take on a feisty Mexico in a World Cup round of 16 fixture at the Samara Arena today.

Fresh from their 2-0 win against Serbia, the five-time champions will also try to avoid being another heavyweight casualty from the biggest stage following the departures of holders Germany and Argentina.

They will be up against a team who were primarily responsible for Germany's exit from the group stages with a stunning 1-0 win. Mexico might have failed to carry on their brilliant start -- they suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat against Sweden in the last group game -- but they have shown the ability to get under the skin of big teams.

Brazil coach Tite said that they would start with the same side that won against Serbia. If that is the case then the return of leftback Marcelo to the starting lineup would be delayed. Marcelo, who suffered a back spasm against Costa Rica and was withdrawn in the tenth minute, however, trained with team at the match venue yesterday. A fifteen-minute window was open for journalists to watch the training session, where Tite was seen enjoying target practice -- he was kicking a ball in an attempt to hit another stationary one.

But emerging at the pre-match briefing he said that he was against starting with Marcelo in the stilling heat, where his side might have to play for 120 minutes. The mercury hit 34 degree celsius in Samara and it might soar to 36 on the match day, which will be really demanding for the players. Yesterday was probably the hottest day that we have come across in Russia. And the imposing iron structure gave the impression that a giant crab was moving through the desert in search of the precious drop of water to avoid cram from dehydration.

Tite, however, said that it was about time to step up against a team who have done exceedingly well against Brazil in the recent past. Although Brazil have never lost a World Cup game against Mexico, their last one was a disappointing goalless draw on home soil four years ago.

The Brazil coach also warned that records would not help his side if they could not show a more improved performance at a stage where they could ill-afford any mistake. The Selecao will once again look to Philippe Coutinho to dictate the midfield, Neymar to complete the recovery cycle and the defence manned by Thiago Silva, who attended the briefing too, to stay solid with Miranda against the sharp Mexican attack.

Mexico, who have already earned the nickname of giant-slayers, can enjoy another big sporting moment in their history if they can win.

Click here to see the detail view of the matches of FIFA Wold Cup 2018. 

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Five-time World Champions Brazil will face a formidable Mexico outfit in the Round of 16 match of the World Cup at the Samara Arena today.

This meeting in the last 16 is the 41st time the two countries have faced off, with Brazil leading the head-to-head with 23 victories to Mexico's 10. In four World Cup meetings, Mexico are yet to even score. The match is scheduled for 8pm Bangladesh time.

Team News

Felipe Luis will start Brazil's World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico instead of Marcelo, who was forced off against Serbia because of a back spasm.

Marcelo did train on Sunday so should be available off the bench.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

1)Brazil are unbeaten in their four previous World Cup games against Mexico (W3, D1), keeping clean sheets in all four of those matches.

2)The most recent World Cup encounter was a group game in 2014 which ended 0-0.

3)The sides have met once since then, with Brazil winning 2-0 in a friendly in Sao Paulo in June 2015 courtesy of goals from Philippe Coutinho and Diego Tardelli.

Brazil

1)Brazil have never lost a World Cup game against opponents from central or north America.

2)Their last six defeats at World Cup finals have been to European sides. The last non-European side to beat Brazil at the tournament were Argentina in 1990, who won a last 16 tie thanks to a Claudio Caniggia goal.

3)That defeat in 1990 was also the last time Brazil failed to reach the quarter-finals of a World Cup.

4)They have kept clean sheets in seven of their last eight games (W6, D2).

Mexico

1)Mexico's only previous World Cup win against South American opposition was their 2-0 victory against Ecuador in the group stage in 2002.

2)Defeat would see Mexico eliminated in the last 16 for a seventh consecutive World Cup.

3)They last reached the quarter-finals as hosts in 1986, beating Bulgaria 2-0 in the last 16 before bowing out to West Germany.

4)This will be Mexico's 57th World Cup game - more than any other side who have never won the tournament.

5)Javier Hernandez has only had one shot on target in 270 minutes at this year's World Cup, although he did score from it, against South Korea.

Analysis and Predictions

Brazil are likely to field the same starting lineup which played in their 2-0 win over Serbia. The likes of Neymar and Philippe Coutinho are coming into their own as Brazil’s slick passing and movement begins to take effect.

Brazil will have to contend with the dropping movements of Javier Hernandez. He brilliantly created space for others with his movement during Mexico's 1-0 win over defending Champions Germany. Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng frequently had to follow him up the pitch, leaving Mexio with space to exploit behind the German backline.

Hirving Lozano, with pace to burn will be looking to exploit that sort of space. Mexico could well be looking to take advantage of Brazil right back Fagner’s inexperience and target that side of the pitch. Expect Carlos Vela to bring his physical playmaking style to the game to counter the likes of robust Brazil midfielders Casemiro and Paulinho.

It is going to be an exciting match and although Brazil are full of attacking potential, a tight game is expected.

Score Prediction: Brazil to make it to the quarterfinals with a 2-1 victory over Mexico.