The Brazilian national football squad advanced to the quarterfinals stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup after defeating Mexico 2-0 at the almost full-house 45,000-seat capacity Samara Stadium on Monday.
Following the toss of the coin by the head referee of the match, Rocchi Gianluca of Italy, Mexico kicked off the ball to start the match at the Samara Arena amid the hot temperatures of 32 degrees Celsius.
The goalkeepers of both teams were tested by rapid attacks since the onset of the match. Team Mexico was clearly in possession of the ball for over 20 minutes of the first half, but the pressing style made them lose their steam and Brazil responded by delivering a series of dangerous shots on the Mexican goal, all saved by goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
Less than three minutes remaining before the break in the game, the referee flashed a yellow card for Brazilian defender Filipe Luis after chopping down Mexico’s striker Carlos Vela.
The following free kick brought nothing to Mexico, just like the closing minutes of the first half with both teams retreating to the locker rooms for a 15-minute break with the scoreless draw.
The statistics of the opening half showed an equal percentage of the ball possession by both teams.
The legendary Brazilian squad boosted its performance after the break and less than six minutes into the second half Neymar slid across the Mexican box, shoving the ball into the net from Willian’s left-side assist past Ochoa.
Mexico upped the speed after the goal from their opponents, but began making mistakes as its defender Hector Herrera was booked for a rude tackle on a Brazilian player. Two more yellow cards were flashed in the second half, particularly for Brazil’s Casemiro and Mexico’s Carlos Salcedo, with over 12 minutes left to play in the match.
About two minutes remaining in the game, Brazil’s Neymar passed a ball from the left side of the Mexican goal, making it easy for his teammate Roberto Firmino to send it in and double the advantage over the Mexican team.
The referee added six minutes to the game after the main time expired, however, it was of no use for the Mexican team and the score of 2-0 remained flashing on the scoreboard in favor of Brazil until the final whistle.
The national football team of Brazil is now scheduled to play its quarterfinals match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on July 6 in Kazan against the winner of the Belgium-Japan game, which is scheduled to be played later in the day in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.
A total of 32 national football teams entered the 2018 FIFA World Cup and only 16 of them proceeded to the knockout phase after the group stage, which kicked off on June 14 and ended on June 28.
According to FIFA’s official statistics, the total number of fans at all stadiums during 48 matches of the group stage came to 2,178,894 people, which carries an average of 45,394 at each match.
The national teams, which have already cleared the round of Last 16, are hosts Russia, Croatia, Uruguay, France and Brazil.
In the course of 48 matches played matches during this World Cup’s group stage, a total of 122 goals were scored (2.54 per match on the average), with the national team of Belgium scoring the most in its three group stage matches (nine goals).