Willian steps into the limelight

[xiaolan]

From the Seleção, a selection box of treats. While their rivals falter, beset by rusting parts and in some cases complete mechanical failure, Brazil roll on and their claim to a sixth World Cup now looks more persuasive than at any point in the past four years. The strut of champions-elect is returning and, as players and staff piled on after Roberto Firmino’s far-post tap-in, it did not take an outrageous leap to envisage similar scenes unfolding 13 days down the line when this often bewildering summer party finally winds down. In a tournament that has shown little tolerance for the cult of the individual, this felt like a particularly telling afternoon. Ciao Cristiano, lovely knowing you Lionel … no more, Neymar? The stars have lined up for the chopping block http://www.officialredsoxauthentic.com/Bobby_Doerr_Jerseybut Brazil and their talisman never looked close to the axe after a few early flutters and what sets them apart at this stage is the steady click-click of their key components. Mexico were furious with Neymar’s second-half histrionics but the simple truth is that they were defeated by a team, a collection of world-class players who have stepped up in sequence and made their quality tell. If that sounds like the minimum requirement for a title contender, it is not as though many others have achieved it. Neither Argentina nor Portugal could muster anyone to make a difference beyond their A-listers; the more rounded gifts of Germany and Spain Womens Kamalei Correa Jersey were consumed, in different ways, by a total loss of the identities that have served them, and Brazil have struck a balance in the meantime. Philippe Coutinho, Paulinho and Thiago Silva pulled out decisive moments of their own in a patchy group stage performance; in the oppressive heat of Samara it was Willian, little more than quietly effective in earlier games Womens Luke Willson Jersey but playing in fast-forward mode after http://www.officialfootballvikingshop.com/Nike-Xavier-Rhodes-Jersey.html half-time, who provided the telling burst of initiative with his dart towards the line and the impression grew of a camp in which labour is happily shared. The celebrations that greeted Firmino at the death cut a different image to the relatively austere picture Brazil had sought to project in the buildup. Neymar’s modest choice of haircut – certainly in contrast to the newly peroxided mops sported by three of their opponents, who looked a half-hearted version of Romania’s 1998 side – set some kind of tone but his captain’s pre-match comments were perhaps more revealing. Thiago had described himself as a “shy” and “embarrassed” character far more comfortable expressing himself on the pitch than off it; Brazil have often found it difficult to distil the exuberance and excitement that surrounds their every move into a gimlet-eyed focus during games but in Russia they appear free of distraction, blinkers fixed and racing line firmly set. That was shown in the early stages in the way Thiago and Miranda shackled Mexico, the latter throwing himself in front of an early Hirving Lozano shot that could have changed everything, and paved the way for their more expressive colleagues. This is not a Brazil side given to weaving pretty patterns at length, but at their best they resemble a coiled spring and their front four have, in short but devastating spells, played the most effective football seen over the past two and a half weeks. They certainly showed up Mexico, who were rightly lauded for running a hot knife through Authentic Ryan McDonagh JerseyGermany but failed to inflict any kind of wound when invited by Brazil to do the same. After their left-back Jesús Gallardo wasted a glorious counter early in the second half, he had barely got back into position by the time Willian and Neymar had combined so lucidly to punish him. It was Mexico’s run of consecutive second-round exits, which now extends to seven, shrunk into one sequence but it also showcased a clarity and collaboration that lifts Brazil above everyone http://www.jacksonvillejaguars.us.com/WOMENS-BRANDON-LINDER-JERSEY.html else. Let nobody get too carried away: this carnival of participation has not yet included Gabriel Jesus, who snatched at one half-opening before the break and, while moving sharply, has yet to produce on the level of those around him. Perhaps it is simply his turn next. In Kazan on Friday they will have to cope without Casemiro, who picked up his second yellow card of the tournament against Mexico; Fernandinho, praised pointedly by Tite on Sunday, will deputise and they will hope Marcelo is fit to join him. More clinical opponents would have punished Filipe Luís and, in particular, Fagner during an opening 25 minutes in which Brazil’s full-backs were exposed by Lozano and the equally frustrating Carlos Vela. At one stage during that spell it all appeared to have affected Fagner, who embarrassingly threw the ball into vacant space midway inside the Mexico half and scampered back as they broke once again. He and Brazil gathered themselves though and that, these days, is exactly what they seem to do. wholesale jerseys wholesale jerseys from china wholesale nfl jerseys cheap jerseys free shippingwholesale jerseys wholesale jerseys