Brazil’s third goal against South Korea yesterday was incredible by any standard. It started with the bounce of the ball on the head of Richarlison, who seemed to be trying to imitate the seal trick of the boy wonder Carlon from about two decades ago. Then the pass came to Marquinhos who passed to Thiago Silva, and it was unusual – what the hell are the two brakes of Salceo doing near the opponent’s square in an organized attack?
The veteran Chelsea star then delivered a perfect deep pass to Richarlison – perhaps the first perfect deep pass in his life, because he is really not used to doing this type of action. Then, after Tottenham’s scorer put the ball in the net, even coach Tita joined in his pigeon dance.
Since when do coaches dance in the middle of the game with the players? No matter how you look at it, there were unusual things here, and it is likely that they will not be repeated, in this World Cup and in general. It was a one-off move that should be cut and preserved, a unique work of art that everyone will remember – especially if the Brazilians fulfill their dream and lift their trophy after 20 years.
Courtesy of Here 11, the official broadcaster of the 2022 World Cup
And it’s fantastic, but it doesn’t teach us about the future and the present, except for the feeling of pure joy of life, which always helps – easy for Brazilians. What is permanent and becoming routine in the 2022 World Cup? The ability of Vinicius who is involved in almost everything positive that happens to Selceo. Neymar returned from injury yesterday, passionate on the pitch, showed very good ability and received the award for the outstanding player, but it is not sure that he deserved the statuette after all, because there was someone who contributed more than him. The left winger of Real Madrid takes part in almost everything good that happens to Brazil in Qatar, and his leadership skills are admirable – not everyone is able to show such maturity in the first major tournament at the age of 22.
In the first game against Serbia, Richarlison scored a brace and grabbed most of the headlines, but Vinicius is responsible for those conquests. In the 62nd minute, the goalkeeper deflected his sharp kick at the striker’s feet, and after 11 minutes it was Vinicius who also set up his famous tally for Richarlison. In the match against Switzerland, Vinicius’ beautiful goal was disallowed by a borderline VAR decision in the middle of the second half, but he did not give up, and his sweeping break from the left led to a pass to Rodrigo, from where the ball went to Casemiro who unleashed his perfect spin kick. So, Brazil had three goals in the group stage, and Vinicius was a partner in all three.
So after he was rested against the Cameroons, Vinny returned to do the work for the motherland. Already at the opening, he was finally honored to write his name in the protocol, with a delicate ball for the far connections that left no chance for the Korean goalkeeper Kim. Immediately after, Vinicius’ not very successful ball into the box still reached Richarlison, and the foul on him sent Neymar to take the penalty. When Lucas Paqueta scored the fourth, it was Vinicius who gave him the perfect assist in a pass that every player dreams of receiving – and every player also dreams of delivering. It is impossible to miss after such a cooking, so Brazil went up to 0:4.
And before the halftime whistle it should have been 0:5, if Richarlison wasn’t too greedy. He went for a kick from a difficult angle instead of handing it to Vinicius who raced alone to an empty area in front of the goal and raised his hands in some frustration. The disappointment was very temporary, because Vinny knew he would have new opportunities to score in this tournament, and victory was assured anyway. He is not excited by nonsense. He is very interested in maintaining industrial peace and balance in the dressing room.
“I sign that the entire Brazilian nation will one day be behind me and support me,” said Vinicius two years ago, and this dream came true. Some didn’t believe him, and at last summer’s Copa America he was still a bench player who made four short appearances as a substitute. Some at the Santiago Bernabeu showed impatience with his poor decision-making, and Karim Benzema was even recorded asking Dani Carvajal once: “Don’t give him away, he’s playing against us.” Does anyone remember this strange period after the tremendous transformation that the winger went through, who gradually became one of the most efficient and intelligent players in the entire Spanish league, and also in the national team.
He is still creative, inventing new exercises and sometimes even walking with his head against the wall unnecessarily, but in general Vinicius is a formidable modern team player. In addition to the dribbling ability he has always had, he has admirably upgraded both his vision of the game and his team attitude. The collaboration with Benzema flourished and became one of Real’s strongest cards, and the Frenchman is no longer really angry with his young Brazilian colleague.
Last season was a dream with 22 goals and 20 assists, and ended with the best chord possible – a winning goal in the Champions League final. Such an achievement boosts self-confidence to new heights, and today Vinicius is one of the best players in the world, some would say that he is the most talented left winger in the world, and in this World Cup he has the opportunity to prove it – mainly by contributing to the happy team game.
So Vinicius now has a hand in six of Brazil’s seven goals in the tournament. Only in the special team goal that ended in Richarlison’s pigeon dance with Tita was he not directly involved, but that didn’t matter. You have to leave something for others too, don’t you? Currently, he is one of the top contenders for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Player of the Year should Brazil win the title, and on current form he is capable of making it happen. Josip Juranovic, Croatia’s right back, can already start preparing mentally for what awaits him this Friday.