Brazil can look forward to an abundance of hope following their 3-0 win over Korea Republic in their sixth and final match of the Brazil Global Tour on Tuesday.
Tite’s Samba Boys scored through three different players for a comfortable win against the Asian powerhouses at Al Jazira Club’s Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium.
Following constant pressure, Brazil opened the score in the ninth minute when Lucas Paqueta’s diving header off a dainty chip from Renan Lodi gave Jo Hyeon-woo no chance on the Korean goal.
After that, the Koreans took their chances with Tottenham’s Son Hueng-min having two clear looks on goal — first straight into Alisson’s hands in the eleventh minute and then a 25th-minute drive going past the upright.
Richarlison missed converting a lovely through from Coutinho on the half-hour mark, only to see Coutinho making it 2-0 in the 36th minute with a curling free kick into the far corner of the Korean goal. Brazil released the pressure a bit, and then fell back to absorbing the pressure closer to half-time when Jung Wooyoung’s free kick was spilled by Alisson and Coutinho’s reflex clearance hit the framework and yet gave the Bayern Munich player enough time to make a hasty clearance.
Son came close a third time in the opening minute of the second half, but he was too hasty with his volley from inside the box with no one challenging him. Danilo finally put the match to bed making it 3-0 on the hour mark when his drive from inside the penalty area flew into the top of the Korean net.
The win did a lot to the confidence of the team, and coach Tite was pleased to break their five-match streak without a win since claiming their fifth Copa America crown on July 7.
Crucial mistakes
“We came here to play our best football and I think we did well today. We were organised in all departments, and if at all our opponents attacked and dominated it was because we allowed them to do so by taking off the intensity,” Tite told media at the post-match conference.
“No, I am not happy with the result at all as we could have scored many more goals. But then in such games, it is more important to look at the tactical side rather than just the scoreline,” he added.
Korea’s Portuguese coach Paulo Bento admitted there’s no justice in football. “We played well and matched the might of Brazil, but then we also made two crucial mistakes and paid a heavy price for the same,” Bento admitted.
“It was certainly a different game, but in the end I think we did well to hold our own. There is a lot to learn from such matches against high-quality teams,” he added.
South Korea is one of the few teams that have won against Brazil in the past but came up short in the UAE capital. Coming into this friendly, the Brazilians had been far from being satisfactory, following three draws and a couple of losses since their Copa America triumph — the last one to their arch-rivals Argentina. Just three days later, Brazil restored order in an emphatic style.
