Brazil vs. Belarus Olympic Soccer: Score, Grades, Twitter Reaction and Analysis
By
(Chief Writer) on July 29, 2012
Brazil's talent and pure brilliance on the football pitch is something to behold.
Sunday's 3-1 victory over Belarus was the perfect example of what the Brazilians are capable of when they get things going.
Score
Brazil conceded the first goal of the game in the eighth minute, but cruised to victory shortly thereafter. Alexandre Pato tied the game in the 15th minute and Neymar (65th minute) and Oscar (90 + 3) tallied goals to seal the victory.
With the victory, Brazil stays on top of Group C with six points. Belarus is stuck on three points with one game remaining, but appears to be in great shape.
Twitter Reaction
FIFA's Twitter feed mentions Neymar's brilliance, and how the Brazilians are advancing to the Quarterfinals.
Chris Atkins of ESPNSoccernet talks about how great Neymar and Oscar have been so far.
EA Sports FIFA talks about Neymar's dynamite free kick to take the lead in the 65th minute.
Player Grades
Neymar: A+
Back-heels, no-look passes, constant brilliance and great pace are just a few attributes and styling plays we see when watching Neymar.
On the world's stage, Neymar looked like one of the top three players in the world with his world-class talent.
He recorded five shots, forced four fouls, scored one goal and provided perfect balls for several teammates. It was an all-around great performance from Neymar.
Oscar: A+
Oscar recorded more shots on target (4) than the entire Belarus team did on the day (3). He also recorded more shots (7) than the entire Belarus team (5).
He was constantly involved in the action, making his presence known on the field. His goal from an unbelievable Neymar pass only sealed his A+ grade.
Renan Bardini Bressan: A+
Renan Bardini Bressan was the best player for Belarus. He scored a goal, recorded three shots on goal and forced three fouls.
Bardini Bressan did all he could to earn three points for his country, but his comrades didn't show up to the party.
Alexandre Pato: A-
Pato scored the tying goal that gave Brazil a shot in the arm. For that alone he deserves an A. That's pretty much all he did throughout his 85 minutes played, but that's all he needed to do.
Stanivslav Dragun: C
Belarus didn't create too much offense on the day and its captain didn't do much either. Stanislav Dragun only recorded one shot on the day and it wasn't even on target.
Dragun didn't provide much flair offensively, didn't provide any spark and he committed three fouls. It was a day to forget for Dragun.
Will Belarus advance to the Quarterfinals?
Analysis
Brazil was clearly the better team heading into Sunday's action despite both sides providing three points a piece. They have the better collection of talent, better goal scorers and better experience.
With six points, Brazil will advance to the knockout stages.
As for Belarus, the opportunity to advance is still golden. With three points, a two-point advantage on the other two teams in Group C, Belarus is in perfect position to advance.
Even though the 3-1 defeat was a cruising victory for Brazil in the end result, Belarus can still walk away thinking they had a chance.
Against Brazil, a chance is all any team can ask for.
What's Next?
Brazil will meet New Zealand and Belarus will play Egypt on August 1.
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