Brazil limbered up for the match by taking a stroll around Doha’s Souq Waqif. They emerged unscathed, with wallets still largely intact, but Switzerland proved nowhere near as generous as Qatar’s market traders and, for a long time here, threatened to rob Tite’s team of their cloak of invincibility.
Ultimately Casemiro’s glorious 83rd‑minute half‑volley, dispatched with the outside of his right foot, propelled the pre‑tournament favourites into the knockout stages but much of the action emphasised precisely why all the pre‑match focus had centred on a man who was never going to appear on the pitch.
