Match Focus: Brazil on the Brink as Colombia Cruise to Revenge Victory

After Colombia had so deservedly won the game, and Neymar had so irresponsibly lost his head, Dunga attempted to draw breath.

“We have to concentrate on playing football,” the Brazil manager said following his side’s 1-0 defeat to Jose Pekerman’s side, which also saw Neymar sent off for head-butting goalscorer Jeison Murillo. “We can’t get involved in these clashes. We have to do what we know best - with the ball.”

The fundamental problem that Dunga must solve - and one that he has arguably not yet fully faced up to - is that those issues are not separated in the way he seems to maintain. The mental volatility of this Brazilian side appears to be deeply connected to their lack of vintage Brazilian quality.

Just as the seismic 7-1 collapse against Germany in the World Cup was a direct consequence of all the emotion outpouring following Neymar’s injury in the quarter-final win over Colombia and the realisation that they were so dependent on him, this seemed to provoke the equal but opposite effect. All that frustration at the end arose precisely because Brazil had so little beyond their mercurial number-10, and because they could do so little to even trouble the Colombians.

In that, it is arguably appropriate that all of this is laid out by a revenge defeat from the same South American nation, and that they now must try and again cope without Neymar. They may face a similar fate: immediate elimination.

Brazil do not currently look anything like worthy winners of this tournament, and it is going to take a lot to change that, not least because they may well be knocked out if they fail to beat a good Venezuela team on Sunday without their talisman. In truth, they pretty much had to cope without a peak Neymar here already.

He was well off his best, and his frustration with how this game was going was evident long before he fatefully whacked the ball at Pablo Armero once the final whistle had gone. That initiated the row, but it was more than he had initiated all game.

Neymar lost possession 23 times, including 12 inaccurate passes, the most of any outfield player on the pitch. That meant Brazil only had 2 shots on target in the whole match. They were devoid of any creativity, and that was still the case after all of Coutinho, Diego Tardelli and Douglas Costa came on.

Dunga only appears to have restored rigidity to this side, rather than any rousing football. They just look such a limited team, still so dependent on Neymar and still with so many problems. It’s also worth dwelling on the fact that, for all the talk of Dunga's winning run, this was their first genuine challenge since the World Cup and it immediately brought their first defeat since then. Brazil stumbled at the first hurdle, and now could go out at the first round.

If they still haven’t solved so many problems from last summer, though, Colombia now look like they can progress even further than in the World Cup. They do look like worthy winners of this trophy again, and that is all the more impressive given the mental and physical hurdles they had to overcome.

For a start, there was the fact this match could have ended their campaign. Had they lost, Colombia likely would have been out, following the shock defeat to Venezuela. That Pekerman’s side responded by beating Brazil for the first time in 24 years deserves particular credit. That they did so despite still featuring Radamel Falcao on this kind of form and fitness warrants even more.

The forlorn striker offered 3 shots off target and basically nothing else other than a problem in terms of team structure, given how he seems to require a formation that strips the side of some of its fluidity. His rating of 6.28 from WhoScored.com was the worst of all starting outfielders for the victors. Yet, despite Pekerman’s unwavering fate in Falcao, the Colombian coach still managed to restore verve to the team. He found a balance.

There were periods in the first half when they played some pulsating and brilliant football, with the attack linking up so well. Of course, much of that may be because Colombia also had the player to link their entire team together in the way that Brazil didn’t. Aston Villa’s Carlos Sanchez was sensational, offering 6 tackles - the most on the pitch. It reflected his dominance of that entire area.

Colombia flowed from there, most notably the newly fresh Juan Cuadrado. Pekerman saved particular praise for his winger, who has just endured a difficult club season on the bench at Stamford Bridge. "Cuadrado lacked a bit of rhythm due to the season he'd had at Chelsea. But he was a nightmare for Felipe Luiz; he was excellent.”

It is no surprise that Cuadrado was the most fouled player on the pitch, suffering 6 such challenges. It should be even less of a surprise that Colombia were capable of over-turning such an underwhelming Brazil. Right now, they look mentally stronger, and more cohesive. They also look like they have a much better chance of going through.

In that regard, Dunga is right. Brazil must now concentrate on what’s important. “We have to just concentrate on beating Venezuela,” the manager said. “It’s in our own hands.” It may also be in their heads.

Will Brazil fall at the first hurdle and crash out at the group stages? Let us know in the comments below