Brazil defeated Mexico by 2-0 in the Round of 16 match in Cosmos Arena, Samara on Monday, July 2, 2018. Brazilian forward Neymar Jr. tapped one past the goal line in the 51st minute, while Firmino provided the finishing touch by scoring in the 88th minute.
The five-time World Champions will now face Belgium in the Quarter Final on July 6, 2018, in Kazan Arena, Kazan. This will be the seventh consecutive time that Brazil has made it to the Quarter Finals of the FIFA World Cup.
A few odds were in Mexico's favor, such as Mexico having beaten Brazil seven times in the last 15 games and the fact that Mexico started their campaign by defeating the defending champions, Germany.
Nevertheless, Brazilian defense was ruthless in front of a stubborn Mexican attack, which made sure that Mexico couldn't repeat the previous heroics against Brazil. In fact, Mexico has failed to qualify for the Quarter Finals of the FIFA World Cup in each occasion since the 1986 tournament which was hosted by Mexico.
Brazil is through to the #WorldCup quarter-finals 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/QYPVtH51nt
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 2, 2018
Brazil plays to its strength
Brazil started with the game with a formation of 4-2-3-1 while Mexico kept it simple with a formation of 4-3-3. The Brazilian attack made sure that Mexico was always on the bay, but just couldn't manage to get the ball rolling past the Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
It was not until the 51st minute that Brazil could get a lead against the Mexicans with Neymar starting and ending the move. He rushed beyond the side of the field before an excellent backheel freed Willian, whose flat cross sputtered into the risk zone where Neymar skidded in, to roll the ball inside the goal. It was a crucial blow for Mexico who had been slightly better than Brazil in the first half, having created several half chances which they failed to convert into a goal.
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Second-half goal
The match went along aggressively with both teams leaving no stones turned, but late in the second half, Brazil's plan to frustrate Mexico paid off. Neymar Jr. ran through the defense in the box and put the ball past Ochoa, while Firmino came in from the other side to tap the ball over the line and made it 2-0 for Brazil.
The crowd of almost 42,000 inside the stadium roared with the Brazilian team, as the No.2 world-ranked side qualified to the last eight.
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