Brazil march, Belgium stumble through to the Fifa World Cup Quarter finals

One associates dancing forwards and dazzling wingers with Brazil. That is the perception at least. But if you a little closer, that 7-1 defeat to Germany in 2014, has brought back perspective for a little bit. Adenor Leonardo Bacchi or Titi has brought a little bit of balance to the side. The flair players do their thing upfront but players don’t overcommit. To win a major tournament, defensive side of your team has to be on point. So far, Brazilian team has looked extremely solid. Yesterday, Mexico had one shot on target, which wasn’t a clear cut chance any way. Up front Neymar and Firmino did their thing taking Brazil safely through to the quarter final.

On the other hand, balance is perhaps what the Japanese team lacked. In the last minute of the normal time, they committed too many men forward and had to pay the penalty as Belgium stuck with a precise counter attack. Perhaps, a little bit of experience at this level would have helped. Nonetheless, it was an outstanding effort by them to stretch the game this far. Belgium is a far superior team with super talented players, plying their trade in the top leagues of the World. As a neutral it was super game to watch, edge of the seat stuff.

This leads to a Brazil vs Belgium quarter final. It would really interesting to see how these two big teams go at it. Can Neymar and Coutinho out do Hazard and De Bruyne? Will the Brazilian defense relent? Somehow, I fancy Brazil to hold firm and nick at goal to go through to the semis. Lots of excitement ahead.