Doha: Teammates Alex Telles, Bruno Guimaraes and Eder Militao have hailed Casemiro (pictured) after his match-winning performance for Brazil against Switzerland on Monday.
“Having Casemiro is like playing with 12 men,” said an awestruck coach Tite in 2018.
Switzerland just found out that, four years on, the same applies. Known as ‘The Tank’, regarded by many as the finest holding midfielder on the planet, Casemiro delivered an infallible defensive performance at Stadium 974, winning tackles, making interceptions, organising those around him.
His game, however, involves so much more than protection. The 30-year-old’s vision and passing launched multiple raids on the Swiss goal. When none of them bore fruit, he took matters into his own hands.
With seven minutes of normal time remaining and the deadlock intact, Casemiro employed attacker’s technique and half-volleyed the ball into the inside netting. It snatched Brazil victory and, consequently, a place in the knockout phase with one game to spare.
“He’s a fundamental player for us – as much for the balance he brings to the team as he is on the ball,” Telles told FIFA+. “I think he’d already had a great game in our debut, and having a game like this today shows the player that he is – a player who [has won] a lot of Champions Leagues with Real Madrid. So for us it’s good to have him in the team.”
“He’s played another incredible game, like always,” said Militao. “He was really solid and deserved his goal.”
Guimaraes added: “He’s wonderful. He’s a great player. It’s a pleasure to play with him.”
Casemiro is not the only major influence on the younger Brazil players. Neymar, of course, is adored within Tite’s squad. The Paris Saint-Germain ace suffered an injury in the victory over Serbia, which caused him to miss out against Switzerland.
“He still speaks to us every day,” said Telles. “He’s one of our captains, a reference for us. We’re sad that he’s not [playing], but he’s present with us every day in some form and he’s getting better and better with his recovery.”
Injuries to Neymar and Danilo did nonetheless open up an opportunity for two men to make their World Cup debuts. Eder Militao, a central defender, started at right-back, while Bruno Guimaraes came on for Fred, who started in place of Neymar.
“It was important [for me],” said the Newcastle United midfielder. “I will a little nervous because it was my first game, but it’s good that now I’ve got rid of the nerves. Now I feel ready. The most important thing was the three points and qualification.”
“It’s a unique sensation,” remarked Militao. “I’m really happy that I was able to debut in the World Cup and that we got the win. On to the next one. We’re playing really well. We’re really confident.”
