Great Britain vs. Brazil: Notes from the Brits' Woeful 0-2 Defeat

Friday's much-anticipated debut of "Team GB"––Great Britain's amalgamated U-23 Olympic squad––was a resounding dud, the Brits falling 0-2 to Brazil.

In their first and only friendly of import before the games start counting, the Brits were outclassed, out-hustled and out-performed by a superior Brazilian side, making graphic just how far Team GB has to go if they plan on medaling this summer.

The game finished 0-2 but could have been much worse, as the Brazilians were unable to finish a fusillade of quality chances in the second half.

Here are a few takeaways from Friday's exhibition.

Great Britain Can't Foul in the Final Third

Brazil lambasted the British defense, firing 20 shots by the game's end, but it was two set pieces that ultimately cost Team GB.

The first goal was, admittedly, a little fluky. The British defense was caught off guard, expecting a shot on goal when Neymar floated a perfect back-post ball to Sandro.

The second goal came on a PK, after Hulk burned Micah Richards off the dribble and got chopped down in the penalty area. Neymar was able to slot home the penalty with a deft strike to the bottom-left corner.

Brazil can finish creatively in the final third, so keeping them off the board in the run of play is an impressive feat.

But it doesn't matter when you cede penalties close to your own net.

Possession Matters Only If You Do Something with It

If there were one minor takeaway for Team GB, it was the fact that they finished with 57 percent of the possession. And if the Spanish domination of international soccer has taught us one thing, it's that possession is the single most important statistic beyond the final score...right?

Well, no.

The Brits held 57 percent of the possession but did almost nothing with it. They managed a meager five shots, only one of which was on target. By contrast the Brazilians turned their complementary 43-percent possession into 20 shots, 12 of which were on target.

Attacking against a team which can counter as quickly as Brazil always comes with some inherent risk, but under the assumption that you can't keep them scoreless for an entire game (which you can't), you're gonna need to push forward at some point.

The Brits can't look as passive on the ball if they hope to make waves in the Olympics.

Jack Butland Wins MVP

Forget what I said about possession being Team GB's minor takeaway from this friendly, as Jack Butland came on in the second half and stole the show with his performance in goal.

Butland stood on his head to keep Brazil off the board in the second half, skillfully denying strikes from a number of players, including Pato and Neymar.

The woeful history of English goalkeepers is well documented (hi, Robert Green), but between Butland and Joe Hart, the position may be stabilizing for the future. 

Spain is Spain, But Brazil is the Prohibitive Favorite For Gold

If you're a Team GB apologist, there's an easy silver lining from Saturday's game: That team you lost to is really, really good.

Britain have high hopes for their squad for a reason––their starting lineup boasts experienced high-level players from top to bottom.

The way that Brazil dismantled a talented British squad delivered a loud-and-clear message not just to Spain but to the entire Olympic field.

Lionel Messi had a laundry list of accomplishments prior to 2008, but the Beijing Olympics served as his international coming-out party.

In 2012 it appears Neymar is ready to duplicate that feat and elevate his stardom into the Messi-Ronaldo stratosphere.