Brazil vs. Colombia: Winners and Losers from International Friendly
The week of international football continued on Friday night, into Saturday's early hours, as Brazil and Colombia fought out an entertaining match in Miami, Florida.
A fast-paced and frenetic match was well worth watching, regardless of its "friendly" nature, though bad tackles and cards were in more plentiful supply than chances on goal. Neymar scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win for Brazil, while Colombia had Juan Cuadrado sent off.
Here are our winners and losers from the match in Dunga's first game in his second spell in charge of Brazil.
Winner: Neymar, Talisman, Captain
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Neymar was not only fit to take his place in Brazil's team against the side (and the player) who ended his World Cup through injury, but he was also named as the captain in Dunga's first game in charge.
The Barcelona wide forward was in excellent form with his direct running, infield or down the channels, causing Colombia plenty of problems and drawing no end of fouls. Some were merely late, while others were terribly cynical, though Neymar's continuous rolling around did him no favours.
Overall, though, it was a good performance from him as the main conduit for Brazil's play, while his late free-kick was executed to perfection and worthy of winning a game.
Loser: Anonymous Oscar
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Given the nod to continue in his No. 10 role, his preferred attacking midfield position, Oscar was a big disappointment for Brazil.
The pace and relentless flow of the game completely bypassed him in the first 45 minutes, with his side neither playing through him in buildup phases nor looking to the Chelsea man to put the final touches on through passes around the edge of the box.
His awful finish at the end of a four-on-two counter-attack just about summed up his display, while things didn't pick up after the break. A back-heel link-up with Diego Tardelli was as good as it got, with most of his passes being overhit and his dribbles finding only red shirts.
Winner: Jefferson, Impressive in Goal
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Part of the Brazilian rebuild means choosing a new national team goalkeeper, with the two stoppers in the squad both being inexperienced at this level: Jefferson won his 10th cap, while Rafael Cabral has only three.
The former was chosen to start and made two routine saves and two impressive ones, showing good concentration and reactions in a somewhat crazy game of football. His composure and distribution on the ball was also good.
A clean sheet and a full 90 minutes in victory—what more could he have hoped for?
Loser: Colombia's Front Two
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Radamel Falcao was not fully fit, James Rodriguez started from a wider position and Juan Quintero was only on the bench, so for Colombia it was a chance for the pairing of Teofilo Gutierrez and Jackson Martinez to show they could combine and be effective as a central duo.
Neither really created or made the most of any chances which came their way, with the attacking midfielders more responsible for final-third action.
Once Colombia went down to 10 men there was even less chance of them seeing the ball in attack, and it was no surprise to see them both changed just after the hour mark. Teo's booking for a kick out at Neymar was deserved as the foul was cynical and ridiculous.
Winners: Returning Star Names
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Friendly it might have been, but there were a number of returning big faces at times during the game.
Even with only a few minutes off the bench, being back in the fold for international football is a big deal for these players who, for various reasons, haven't been included in recent games for either side.
Falcao came on for the final 15 minutes for Colombia, having missed out on the World Cup with a long-term injury sustained during last season, while Robinho came on alongside him for Brazil, having barely featured for his nation since the 2010-11 season.
Robinho is fewer than 10 caps from a century for Brazil.
