Brazil Player Ratings vs. Belarus: Did Neymar Live Up to the Hype?
By
Nick Akerman
(Featured Columnist) on July 29, 2012
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Julian Finney/Getty Images
After a humbling 3-2 victory over Egypt, Brazil's football squad took on Belarus in their second Olympic fixture.
The Europeans shocked the gold-medal favorites early on, taking a 1-0 lead through Renan Bressan's strike.
Alexander Pato equalized with 15 minutes gone, and from then on, Brazil controlled the game.
A string of fine saves from Aleksandr Gutor kept the score at bay, until brilliant goals from Neymar and Oscar sent the Brazilians through to the quarterfinal stage with a 3-1 win.
Let's take a look at how each member of the Verde-Amarela performed and give scores out of 10:
Neto
Didn't have much to do and had very little chance of stopping Belarus' goal. Was nearly caught out from a testing Bresnan strike, but dealt with it well. (6)
Rafael
Largely at fault for the first goal. The Manchester United defender didn't follow his man into the box and was caught out. Linked up with Hulk in the first half and delivered some dangerous crosses, but his influence died in the second half. (5)
Who Was Your Man of the Match?
Thiago Silva
Had a quiet game, through no fault of his own. Was called into action as the final 10 minutes approached, and cleaned up loose balls when needed. His physical presence had the opposition troubled whenever an attack was mounted. (6)
Juan
Like Silva, Juan didn't need to exert himself for most of the match. Cleared a dangerous cross late on and looked solid throughout. (6)
Marcelo
Got forward well and showed a few touches of skill. Occasionally caught out of position in the first half, but never looked like getting beaten for pace. (6)
Sandro
Dictated the center. Constantly looked to spray passes towards his more threatening teammates and broke up play effectively. Will be a vital player as the tournament progresses. (8)
Romulo
Took a while to get going, but eventually grew into the game. Cut out a handful of testing balls, and started to take control when Sandro was substituted. (7)
Oscar
Struggled to have an impact in the first half, where he was often too far up the pitch to receive the ball. Started to drop as the game progressed and began to show the ability that secured a £25 million switch to Chelsea .
Always looking to take on the opposition directly, and did so with real purpose in the latter stages. Unlucky to have a free-kick saved, but eventually capped a fine second half display with an excellent goal. (8)
Neymar
Undoubtedly the star of the show. The Old Trafford crowd waited on his every move, and the Brazilian starlet didn't disappoint. Sent in a fine cross to set up Pato for the first goal and added to the team's total with a stunning free-kick.
Nearly scored one of the finest goals in Olympic history before his brilliant backheel set up the third goal. Performance of the tournament so far. (10)
Hulk
Saw a lot of the ball but failed to make an impression. Linked well with Rafael early on and eventually saw a couple of efforts fail to trouble Gutor in goal. Ultimately he was wasteful, failing to release players who were in a better position and holding onto possession for too long. (5)
Alexander Pato
Anonymous for most of the game. Headed home the equalizer, but failed to convert a decent chance in the second half. Pato's selection was justified, although he'll need to improve as the tournament progresses. (6)
Ganso
Had half an hour to make an impression and failed to do that. (5)
Lucas Moura
In the five minutes he was on, the Manchester United target showed a few sharp touches. (6)
Danilo
No time to influence the game.
http://bleacherreport.com/