Well that was one big, fat let down. Neymar was good and Alexis was good but neither side really got into any rhythm, though both were not helped by the little, niggly fouls that constantly interrupted the flow of the game. Chile were probably the better side over all but Dunga will leave the happier of the managers. Thanks for the emails and comments and I’ll see you back here for the big Ireland game later on. Till then. Bye!
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Full-time: Brazil 1-0 Chile
That’s your lot.
90 + 2 mins Neymar does another good run towards goal and is taken down, just in front of the D. Neymar will take it. Neymar will curl it wide of the post.
90 mins There will be three more minutes of this rubbish football.
88 mins Apparently there are some fans on the pitch. The cameras won’t show us though, the spoilsports.
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87 mins Another Chile corner. And another. Thiago deals with it.
85 mins Fernandinho takes down Alexis. Another yellow. Fernandinho takes down Hernandez. Another free-kick. This one is outside the box, about 30 yards from goal. Fernandez takes it and curls it towards the bottom left corner. It was going wide but Jefferson pushed it out for a corner, just to be safe. Nothing comes of the corner.
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84 mins Neymar picks the ball up in the Chile half and runs towards goal like a bull for a matador. He skirts past a few players but is stopped, legitimately, outside the box and the ball comes back to Robinho. He rushes his effort over the bar from a fair way out.
82 mins Mena goes, Gonzalez comes. Meanwhile it is a corner for Chile but the ball fails to make it past the front post.
80 mins Vargas comes on for Vidal and Elias is the latest to go in the book, after he took down Hernandez.
79 mins Willian and Danilo combine wonderfully down the right. On the edge of the Chile area, Danilo plays the ball back to Firmino. He has a bit of time as he shapes to shoot but his effort is weak and dribbles past the wrong side of the post.
77 mins Another sub to tell you about. Filipe Luís replaces Marcelo.
76 mins A sub to tell you about. Fernandez is on for Millar.
Danilo strode out of defence with the ball at his feet. Under little pressure, he had time to look up and see the run of Firmino. The forward ran in between the two centre backs and Danilo’s exquisite, defence-splitting pass found him with ease. Once inside the box and the ball at his feet, Firmino just rounded Bravo and knocked the ball into the net.
GOAL!!! Brazil 1-0 Chile (Firmino, 72)
Finally! Something!
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68 mins Corner to Chile. Alexis takes the corner as well as a load of applause from the Arsenal fans in the corner. It is flashed across the goal but no Chile player can get on the end of it before Brazil clear it.
66 mins Another foul on Alexis, once more inside the Brazil half, but this time it is executed by Willian. The resulting free is about 35 yards but that does not stop Alexis from having a go. It is hit with speed and it dips in front of Jefferson who does well to keep hold of it.
64 mins Alexis took that free-kick but all he did was put it over the bar.
62 mins Just outside the Brazil box, Miranda dawdles and Alexis bundles him off the ball. Alexis looks to go through on goal but Miranda takes him down and the referee flashes a yellow. Chile are furious. They flash imaginary red cards. Anyway, it is a free-kick to Chile, just beside the corner of the box on the left.
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60 mins Some Brazil subs. Well, three to be exact. Robinho replaces Coutinho; Elias comes on for Souza; and Luiz Adriano is swapped for Roberto Firmino. No wait, there is a fourth. Douglas Costa is withdrawn for Willian.
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58 mins Alexis, deep in enemy territory, switches the ball from left to right. He finds Isla on the edge of the area. Isla plays the ball into the feet of Vidal and his back-heel looks to return the favour. However, Marcelo has his eye on Isla and he muscles him to the ground. The Chileans want a penalty. Atkinson says, not on your life.
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56 mins Anyone out there? Or have you all fallen asleep in front of the fire?
54 mins It is probably worth mentioning that a few monuments ago Chile were looking for a penalty. Fernandinho was, rash like, all over Hernandez inside the box but despite the Brazilian tripping Hernandez, he managed to escape without a sanction.
52 mins Robinho is on the bench. Remember his tantrums Robinho?
50 mins Another stupid foul from Thiago. Forty, fifty yards away from goal, he lunges in once more (this time on Mena) without any danger being present. Is he really one of the best centre-backs in the world?
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48 mins Brazil play keep ball for a moment or two. Marcelo slips over but still manages to pass to Neymar. Just as the Barcelona star gets the ball, he is swept off his feet from behind by Isla. The Chilean escapes with the screams of Neymar ringing in his ears but without a caution.
46 mins No subs to tell you about just yet. Chile, just so you know, are playing left to right this half; Brazil are doing the opposite.
45 mins Here we go again then. Let’s hope for something a bit better in this half, eh? Not that weather is going to help us. It is much wetter and much windier than before.
Half-time: Brazil 0-0 Chile
That’s your lot for now. Back in a few minutes folks.
44 mins Hernandez picks the ball up, around the half-way line and pokes it through the Brazil defence, trying to find the run of Alexis. His efforts come to nothing, though, as Alexis is deemed offside. Moments later, Jara is taken down by Neymar. It is not a bad tackle but it is his third in a short space of time and so he is the third person to get his name in the naughty book.
42 mins Marcelo has just booted the ball over his own line from 50 yards out, giving away a corner. No, I’ve no idea why either. Chile take it short, before Alexis sends it over and Brazil clear it.
40 mins The crowd are Mexican-waving.
38 mins Brazil counter. Marcelo has it, near the corner of the box on the left. He looks up and sees Douglas Costa in acres of space, wide on the right. He scoops the pass to him and Costa takes it on his chest. His control is poor, though, and the ball takes an age to comes down. When it does eventually land at his feet, Costa is under pressure and he boots it over the high and wide.
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37 mins Alexis gets the ball outside the box. He drives towards goal with speed and tries to clip the ball through to Hernandez. Miranda reads it well and stops the pass but Alexis keeps on driving and recovers the ball before it is put out for a corner. That is wasted.
35 mins “That comment from Simon McMahon reminds me of the time when my girlfriend and I used to child-mind our friend’s children,” says Mark Judd. “One of the boys casually asked me to ‘score a goal like Zico’ did. I couldn’t.”
32 mins Hernandez has taken a hefty knock to the ankle. This is still a scrappy affair.
30 mins Knocking the ball over Miranda’s head with his back to goal, Alexis gets Chile attacking down the right with some speed. He finds Isla and Isla chops one into the box. It finds the chest of Millar and he tries to volley one from the edge of the area but his effort is snuffed out. The same goes for Aránguiz.
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28 mins It’s a free to Brazil wide on the left. Neymar floats it over. It misses the Chilean defence and the out-stretched boot of Miranda by this much. Had he got a touch on that, Bravo might have been in trouble.
26 mins “Afternoon Ian,” cheers Simon McMahon. “Talk of Brazilian goals inevitably leads me to 1982 and the greatest team never to win the World Cup. No, not Scotland, but the Brazilian side we briefly led during the group stage. Every goal I remember from that side - Zico, Eder, Socrates, Falcao - either against us or the Soviet Union in the group, or Argentina and Italy in the second phase, seemed to be a thing of beauty. Dave Narey’s wasn’t bad, either.”
25 mins Not like Atkinson to miss a stamp.
24 mins Medel and Neymar have been exchanging words for a few minutes now. (Neymar felt that the Chilean held him back a moment or two ago when going for goal.) But this is a touch more serious. The two went in for the ball and when Medel was standing up, he put the full-weight of his studs on Neymar’s leg. Ouch! The Brazilian rolls and rolls and rolls in agony. Medel is lucky Atkinson did not see that properly or he’d be off. He doesn’t even get a yellow.
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22 mins Free-kick to Chile. It’s in the centre of the pitch but a good 35 yards away from the Brazil goal. Alexis stands over it, Cristiano Ronaldo style. He looks like he is about to belt it but instead he dinks it. Brazil wallop it clear.
20 mins Hernandez is in the middle of the park, with his back to goal, going nowhere and doing nowt. Thiago decides he has to take him to the turf. Silly boy. He now has a yellow to his name.
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18 mins Aránguiz gets the ball wide on the left, on the half-way line, and passes it forward with speed for Alexis. His runs to it and pokes it around the corner and into space before racing on to it. Thiago Silva can’t catch him but Alexis gets caught in two minds once he reaches the box. He could drag it back for Vidal or he could go for it himself. In the end, he dawdles and Miranda’s comes in to clean up the danger.
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16 mins This is all a bit scrappy, to be honest. In case you are wondering, here is a handy tweet to show how the sides are lining up so far.
10' BRA 0-0 CHI / Revisa las formaciones del duelo en el Emirates http://t.co/GOjSlRX7SZ pic.twitter.com/n5pr8LSXNI
— AS Chile (@ASChile) March 29, 2015
14 mins Neymar, who still does not look 100%, over-runs the ball near the corner flag on the left but a nice turn and trick allows him to roll the ball off the incoming Isla and out for a corner. That is sent over and into the box where it is met by the head of Hernandez. He clears it easily enough.
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12 mins And here is the first yellow card of the game. Albornoz goes in hard on Neymar, once more, and once more, it is right under the nose of the referee. The Chilean can have no arguments and nor does he try put up any.
10 mins “Carlos Alberto’s goal against Italy in the 1970 final is a perennial favourite of mine, some solid teamwork there!” reckons Philip Podolsky. “Seriously though, really love this one by Romario from the 1997 Copa America, the only major occasion where the two greatest centre forwards of my lifetime had played together.”
8 mins Brazil take that short and pass it around a bit but the referee calls a halt to the action. He is not happy with the ball. Tis a bit balloon like. Once that is replaced, the game gets going again. Neymar is limping.
6 mins A ball is knocked backed to Jefferson by Fernandinho. He is under pressure from Alexis but he wrong-foots the attacker just in front of his own goal. The crowd like that. Down the other end, Albornoz has taken down Neymar and Brazil have a free-kick.
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4 mins Other than a hefty few tackles and a clearance or two, Brazil have yet to touch the ball. But here is Neymar trying to attack down the right. He does his best to get around Aránguiz, I think, but he gets out-muscled and Chile attack. Alexis has it before being chopped down by Souza. The defender escapes without a card.
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2 mins Chile keep possession for the opening few moments, passing the ball from side to side, doing their best to evade the early pressure from Brazil. Other than that, there is nowt happening.
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1 min Peeeeeeep! Brazil are in their sun yellow. Chile are in their lava red. With an almighty roar from the fans, it is Chile who get us going. They start the game playing right to left. It is very blustery in north London. By the way, this is only Coutinho’s second start for Brazil. Bit odd that, no?
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Not everyone was happy with the anthems:
Please, dear Emirates DJ - next time you play 'Mas Que Nada', choose the Jorge Ben or the Tamba Trio version, not some 'up-to-date' mash-up.
— Philippe Auclair (@PhilippeAuclair) March 29, 2015
Here come the anthems. Chile go first. Hands are lifted to heart in a very sincere manner as the players and fans alike give it a warble. Claudio Bravo even closes his eyes for the entire thing. The camera spends a lot of time on Alexis. His hair as impeccable as ever. Brazil’s turn. The band strikes up, no rousing a cappella this time. Silva is the only player with his eyes closed for the Brazilian boys. With those out of the way, it is almost time to rock. Woop!
So let’s get chatting about your favourite goals from Chile and/or Brazil. I’ll get you started. I don’t remember most of the 2002 summer/World Cup as most of it was spent on a beach in Vancouver sipping on the cheapest vodka, my clothes store job could pay for. However, my colleague, Nick Ames, does and he reminded me this one the other day. Tis a corker.
Team news
As promised, here it is. Given the quality of players on display – Neymar, Coutinho, Vidal, Alexis – this should be fun.
Brazil: Jefferson; Danilo, Thiago, Miranda, Marcelo; Souza, Fernandinho; Douglas Costa, Coutinho; Luiz Adriano, Neymar.
Chile: Bravo; Medel, Jara, Albornoz; Isla, Millar, Aránguiz, Mena; Vidal; Alexis, Hernandez.
Referee: England’s own Martin Atkinson
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Good afternoon
Hi. How are you? Come here. Just take a look out the window there. It’s wet and windy and wintery, right? (Unless, of course, you’re in Addis Ababa, where it is a balmy 24 degrees.) But for most of us, it is wet and windy and winter. You’re probably on the couch, probably still struggling from last night. You knew, she knew and he knew, you shouldn’t have had that last gin. But you did. And now you are paying for it. Boo bloody hoo. But comfort and soothing comes in the form of international football and not just any old international football but Brazil v Chile. A replay of last year’s round of 16 game in Belo Horizonte. What more could you ask for? How about a column on Brazil by Barney Ronay? Here you go!
Welcome back, then, Brazil. OK, maybe not quite back. Full rehabilitation into something like the Brazil of fond imagination – those tiny-shorted pre-modern maestros, creatures of pure ambling skill – might be asking a bit much. But in Paris on Thursday night a convalescent Brazil were about as impressive as anyone could have reasonably hoped during an unusually intense friendly win at Stade de France.
You can read more here. And when you’re done with that, we should have come team news. Once that is out of the way, we’ll get discussing our favourite goals by Brazil or Chile throughout the ages. Sounds fun, right? What do you mean, no?
