Brazil vs. Honduras: Winners and Losers from International Friendly
Brazil finished their Copa America 2015 preparations by beating Honduras 1-0 in a "friendly" encounter in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on Wednesday.
Roberto Firmino scored the only goal of the game, poking home a neat finish after superb buildup play from Filipe Luis and Philippe Coutinho, furthering his own claim to start in Chile at the head of the formation.
The game was marred by a series of rough challenges and stray elbows, with both sides playing hard for the victory despite the fixture meaning little in the grand scheme of things.
Here, Bleacher Report picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Philippe Coutinho
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Philippe Coutinho has been rushed into a central role for Brazil, with Oscar having withdrawn from consideration for the Copa America in order to get a long-overdue rest. The Liverpool star has thus become the go-to guy, replacing the former's presence in the No. 10 role.
Luckily for Dunga, he already appears to have settled into that role, becoming a key cog in the machine. He's combining superbly with Neymar, Roberto Firmino and Willian, interchanging and exchanging quick passes to spark dizzying Selecao attacks.
A Brazil side sans Oscar would have been a concern two months ago, but Coutinho has fully allayed any fears and Robinho believes Brazil are primed for the Copa challenge.
"We eased off the throttle a bit because we know the Copa America is the most important thing for us," Robinho said. "The team is practically ready. We’ve been improving match after match.”
Loser: Miranda
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Miranda has been Dunga's favourite centre-back since taking the reins post-Luiz Felipe Scolari, featuring in almost every game played and starting a high percentage of them, too.
However, the first thing he did against Honduras was pass the ball straight to the opposition, gifting a good chance inside 25 seconds of kick-off. It sparked a turnover- and mistake-prone half for the Brazilian at the worst possible time.
With a squad containing David Luiz, Thiago Silva and Marquinhos, stakes are high, and mistakes cannot be made. Miranda's best form must continue if he's to retain a starting role for the Copa.
Dunga has shown preference toward him, but these final matches are key to finalising preparation for the tournament. After Brazil's disastrous defensive showing at the 2014 World Cup, Dunga will have no tolerance for shaky play at the back heading into this summer tournament.
Winner: Noel Valladares
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Noel Valladares put in a nearly world-class performance on Wednesday evening against Brazil, saving shot after shot to keep the deficit manageable for his team.
Honduras were tested right from the start against a far superior side, yet Valladeres sprung to the rescue with a number of bold stops, aerial claims and fingertip saves to deny a host of Brazilian attackers.
B/R's Sam Rooke agreed, suggesting Valladares was the only reason the 1-0 scoreline didn't end up being something far more comprehensive and sinister.
Loser: Houston Dynamos
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Honduras' best player in the first half was Oscar Boniek Garcia, but a bad challenge from Filipe Luis left the midfielder hobbled, and he eventually had to be substituted due to injury.
The visitors played a strong XI—it's Brazil, after all!—and took the game to them in a competitive fashion. The Selecao responded in kind, and things got a little rough, with Garcia the obvious victim.
But the Houston Dynamos also emerge as big losers from this game, as it's them that Garcia plays for. He's a key part of their midfield, a talented player and he's picked up an ailment in what is, essentially, a pointless friendly for Honduras.
Winner: Roberto Firmino
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Roberto Firmino made his sixth appearance for Brazil on Wednesday evening and scored his third goal. He had to make an impact after Diego Tardelli impressed against Mexico in the previous friendly, with the competition for the starting striker's spot seriously heating up.
The Hoffenheim forward made some extremely intelligent runs and darts into space, taking advantage of Brazil's creative prowess in midfield. He dropped in and produced eye-popping combinations with Philippe Coutinho and often found a way to latch on to deeper passes.
His cool finish just after the half-hour mark, following a brilliant Filipe Luis surge, was a just reward for his efforts. It's a tough choice between Tardelli and Firmino for the opener at the Copa, and the latter did all he could here.
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