Portugal are brimming with confidence after their epic 7-0 thrashing of North Korea in their last World Cup match, but now they have to turn their attention from the minnows of the international football world to the proverbial Moby d**k of the sport. On Friday, Portugal will take on Brazil in their Group G finale, and while both teams will almost certainly move on to the next round, there’s certainly a lot at stake in the final match - including the top position in the group.
However, winning the group might not be as much of a reward as it might have been thought to be before the tournament started. It was thought that finish second in the “Group of Death” meant a date with defending European champions Spain in the round of 16. However, Spain’s loss to Switzerland in their opening match means that they’ll need to beat Chile in order to claim the Group H crown. With the Group G winner potentially taking on Spain and the Netherlands in the first two rounds of the knockout stage (versus a path to the semifinals for the runner-up of Chile and Paraguay), the “reward” for winning the group hardly seems fair.
But there is more than positioning in the tournament to play for - there is also the matter of history. After all, Brazil is a former Portuguese colony which owes much in terms of its language and culture to its former masters. Along with the geo-political and historical subplot, there’s also the fact that these two sides have been at the forefront of the jogo bonito - the “beautiful game” approach to football that places an emphasis on winning with style. Portugal might be the only team to come close to revering the cult of attractive football as much as Brazil, and the play of Portuguese stars like Ronaldo combined with the ascendency to the Brazil throne of former defender Dunga might have even flipped the script.
Brazil has already qualified for the next round while Portugal would need an epic collapse against Brazil along with the Ivory Coast going on a goal-scoring frenzy against North Korea to be knocked out. In many ways, the set-up is the perfect storm for two teams to play a free-flowing, open brand of football without having many worries. Losing might not be such a bad thing and almost certainly will do little to dampen the chances of either team. This could be more like an exhibition than an intense World Cup match, with star players like Ronaldo, Luis Fabiano and Simao given plenty of chances to roam and be creative.
One superstar who won’t get the chance to create opportunities for Brazil is Kaka, who is suspended for the match after picking up two yellow cards in the team’s 3-1 win over the Ivory Coast in the last round. Kaka has said that he will use the enforced time off to rest and get himself physically ready for the knockout phase of the competition. That could work out well for Brazil, as Kaka missed big portions of his club season; however, he also clearly needs match play to regain his sharpness, and missing a match could be a problem down the road.
While it’s most likely that Brazil will be looking to open up their attack, it’s also not inconceivable that they could react in the opposite direction and tighten up their tactics even more. Brazil would love to get their first shutout in the World Cup heading into the knockout phase in order to send a message that they have the blend of offence and defense needed to win a championship. Keeping a clean sheet against Portugal could send exactly that message.
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