Brazil 0-0 Mexico: A diplomatic draw

Full-time: Brazil 0-0 Mexico
Goals:
Match date: June 17, 2014
Stadium: Estádio Castelão
Competition: FIFA World Cup 2014
Barcelona line-up: Julio César, Daniel Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Marcelo, Luiz Gustavo, Paulinho, Ramires, Óscar, Neymar, Fred.

The two winning sides from this World Cup Group A’s first round of fixtures met this Tuesday at the “Estádio Castelão” in Fortaleza, but Brazil and Mexico couldn’t go beyond a goalless draw after 90 minutes played on an intense level.

Luiz Felipe Scolari introduced only one change to his team since that opening win against Croatia on June 12, as he took off Hulk and sent in Chelsea‘s midfielder Ramires into the starting eleven. The Zenit St. Petersburg forward had a few physical problems in the days ahead of this game and the Brazilian coach decided this was probably a good opportunity to try a slightly different approach in this clash against Mexico. As a result of this change, Óscar moved up on the field while Ramires played his usual role in midfield.

Both teams came in to this match without much pressure on their shoulders, since having won their first games allowed them to go through today’s encounter with a more reactive than pro-active approach. With this in mind, it probably becomes easier to understand the outcome of the game, even though both sides ended up having several good goal-scoring chances, particularly Brazil.

After his stunning World Cup debut just 5 days ago, this time around Neymar was shut out by Mexico‘s defense, in great part thanks to the impressive performance of their goalkeeper, Guillermo Ochoa. The Mexican goalie ended up being the man of the match, after denying the goal to several Brazilian players throughout critical moments of the game.

Brazil dominated pretty much every statistic parameter in this game, finishing the game with more possession than Mexico (54% vs 46%), more shots (15 vs 13) and more corners (4 vs 3). All this data seems to go in line with many betting tips and insights prior to this game, suggesting that Brazil was the main favorite to take the 3 points. However, the score remained unchanged until the referee’s final whistle and the two teams ended up splitting points and the group’s leadership (Brazil is still on top though, due to a better goal average).

The next match for Neymar and his teammates will be a Brazil vs Cameroon clash, scheduled for June 23. The 2014 FIFA World Cup will continue with its daily action until the end of the group stage fixtures, which will happen on June 26.

Sources: theguardian.com / goal.com

Watch the highlights video from Brazil 0-0 Mexico match:

Brazil and Neymar match photos against Mexico: