World Cup 2014 Brazil vs Mexico - live score, match report and result of Group A game at Fortaleza's Castelao Stadium, on Tuesday June 17, 2014, kick-off 20.00 (BST)
Neymar (left), the hero of Brazil's
opening day victory, will be looking to increase his goal tally while
Giovani Dos Santos will hope for better luck after being denied two
goals by the referee in Mexico's 1-0 defeat of Cameroon Photo: GETTY IMAGES / EPA
FULL TIME BRAZIL
0 MEXICO
0 Not a high quality game as such but certainly tense and exciting.
Brazil have got some issues, notably the movement up front. Fred surely
isn't good, or busy enough, for them to win with him starting. Mexico
celebrate their point, which they owe in large part to a splendid
goalkeeping effort. A tremendous atmosphere throughout.
England have nothing to fear from either of these teams, geezer.
Bruce Welch meanwhile reckons: "On evidence of 1st round of
matches you have to say Nederland and Deutschland will meet to decide the
winner"
and I think he might be right so I am not going to blow him up for needless
foreign language usage. Nic Chimenti is on the same page:
Certainly NED and DEU have impressed. But I do not think we will get a good
read on Argentina, assuming their advancement, until Stage 2. Their matchups
in group play do not typify those kept in mind while a manager builds a
World Cup champion squad.
Well played Mexico, no need to panic yet, Brazil chums. I've got to have a change of shirt and a quick stretch before I start the Russia v South Korea blog, so I will leave you with a summing-up tweet from the poet laureate of the chemical generation.
<noframe>Twitter: Irvine Welsh - Intense goalless draw, moral victory for Mexico, a brilliant performance of guts and graft. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%23VamosMexico" target="_blank">#VamosMexico</a></noframe>
Cheers!
90 mins: A Neymar break ends when he tries to do too much. Up the other end, Jimenez has a crack and the keeper beats it out, lucky for Brazil it lands safe. We're into the three minutes added on. Neymar has it on the edge of the box, tries to thread it through, but to no avail and that's the lot.
89 mins: Guardado is the latest Mex player to have a shot from outside the box. Closest yet, but still over the bar.
87 mins: Long ball forward, Marcelo onto the ball, he's hauled back by Mexico's Jimenez and he goes down looking. More or less a copy of the penalty they got against Croatia, but this ref is made of sterner stuff. No pen. Marcelo had men in the middle.
85 mins: Neymar with a freekick from the left. Bullet header from Silva from point-blank range.... and that's another superb save from Ochoa. It's just about hacked clear.
83 mins: Jimenez is on in place of Dos Santos. Willian comes on for clubmate Oscar.
82 mins: Sense that Mexico might be over the worst, they are more on terms now after a ten minute passage where Brazil suddenly looked alive and dangerous.
79 mins: Neymar breaks! Delightful through-ball and it's only half a yard too quick for Jo.
<noframe>Twitter: Mark Ogden - Thiago Silva should been sent off for that foul on Hernandez</noframe>
78 mins: Brazil are nearly undone. Ball's played into Hernandez and Silva has absolutely scythed him down. Yellow. You could make a case that he was the last defender, maybe? Anyway, Mexico have a freekick central, outside the box. Dos Santos hits it into the wall.
77 mins: Classy bit of defending from Hector Moreno, seeing the danger, breaking up an attack and now surging forward to start a move of his own. He's brought down but the freekick comes to nothing.
76 mins: H Herrera off and Fabian comes on.
75 mins: Hernandez though, on the break, draws a good saving tackle from Luiz. End-to-end stuff, Neymar moves it quickly to Bernard, who splits the defence with a neat pass, Jo hits a scuffed shot across the goal.
74 mins: Mexico look tired now. Oscar full of running, Neymar dangerous.
73 mins: All hail the Little Pea! He replaces Peralta.
72 mins: Oscar breaks, he's got Dani Alves outside and this looks promising. Opening up for Brazil... but he takes the wrong option and hoofs a cross at the three massed Mex centre backs.
<noframe>Twitter: Jonathan Liew - I'm sorry, if J&ocirc; gets to play at the World Cup, I get to play at the World Cup. It's only fair.</noframe>
70 mins: Brazil look a different side right now. Oscar busy, Luiz joining the attacks,
68 mins: Another super save from Mexico's goalkeeper Ochoa. Neymar on the right of the box, controls a good cross from Marcelo, drills the shot in, really good save. They cannot clear it though, and it's panic stations with players sliding in, and eventually it's behind for a corner. Goalie punches clear. Phew!
67 mins: Fred off, Jo on. Lawro "Tell Fred to warm up, he's coming off." Heh. I like it.
65 mins: Brazil involved in some better stuff now, Paulinho and Marcelo busy. Fred very much not busy. This lad wants to run around a bit more.
62 mins: Suddenly looks like it has opened up for Brazil and Marcelo as he has the ball in the inside right position, but there's no movement whatsoever from the forwards and he ends up just booting it at a Mexican.
<noframe>Twitter: Irvine Welsh - The yellow cards might come thick and fast now as the timing goes. Those boys must be knackered.</noframe>
61 mins: Neymar bends the freekick wide, albeit not by much.
60 mins: Brazil fans boo. Their heroes cannot get a kick right now. Vazquez brings down Neymar, and he's into the book too. Ref let a lot go in the first half, but there's No More Mister Nice Guy now.
58 mins: Aguilar into the book for chopping down Bernard. Oi! Hands off our Bernard.
57 mins: Shot-a-minute from Mexico, more sloppy work at the back from Brazil, and Herrera lashes one just over the bar. Getting closer....
56 mins: Marcelo over-elaborates at the back, Dos Santos with a run and shot. A Brazil defender sticks a leg out... risky... the deflection safely through to the keeper.
55 mins: Vazquez is the latest Mex player to have a long shot over the bar. Getting closer, though.
53 mins: Peralta's shot headed over by a Brazil defender, but the men in yeller deal with the corner well enough.
52 mins: More kick and rush from, erm, the South and North American stars, and a lightning wuick, headless run from Mexico that wouldn't shame a Spurs winger comes to nothing.
48 mins: Bernard in the play straight away, down the right flank, good cross, Neymar arriving but a vital intervention from Rodriguez to save the day. Andy Dean:
In reply to Craig Sobering's email, how exactly do the Germans "dove
the least"?
47 mins: But there is soon a delay as Alves catches Marquez with a sore one.
Pearce [over photos of happy Brazil fans in the crowd] We've seen some great scenes off the field in this world cup.
Lawro: Now we just need some on the pitch as well.
Man alive.
46 mins: Oscar goes to the left as Mexico kick off.
21.00 Players are back out. Bernard comes on for Brazil. Wonder how that will change it.
20.58 So Brazil have some thinking to do. Oscar had a great first few minutes on the left wing but hardly figured later in the half. Brazil's tactic seemed to be having Neymar dropping v deep and trying to mazy through them on his own. Mexico must have used a heck of a lot of energy in that 45 though, they were chasing Brazil at 100mph.
<noframe>Twitter: Daniel Storey - Amazing that Mexico goalkeeper Ochoa is a free agent after finishing bottom of Ligue Un with Ajaccio. Not for long, on this evidence.</noframe>
HALF TIME BRAZIL 0 MEXICO 0 Not what Brazil were hoping for. They've been snapped at and hurried by Mexico, and haven't been able to get any flowing moves going. That said, the Mexico keeper has made one very good save and one brilliant save, and the Mexicans themselves haven't threatened the goal. So, yeah... Great atmosphere, not yet great football or a great match. But we shall see...
<noframe>Twitter: Samuel Luckhurst - Fred's the kind of player who will prompt a worst World Cup winners XI if Brazil win it. Not sure anyone will be as bad as him.</noframe>
45 mins: Mexico end the half on level terms or better and that's the end of the first 45.
43 mins: Been a lot of fouls in this frenetic game, but it's Ramires who becomes the first man into the book for a wild one on Aguilar.
42 mins: Dead ball into the Mexico box, Silva chests the ball on and that's a second excellent save from Ochoa. David L a fraction of a second away from getting on the knock-down for a tap-in but it's bundled clear by the keeper.
41 mins: Mexico enjoying a spell, good work from Guardado and it breaks for Vazquez, whose shot goes not too far wide. Brazil fans starting to sound and look a bit antsy.
38 mins: Herrera and Gustavo go up for a high ball, the latter gets the worst of it and there is a little delay as he gets a bit of a rub .
37 mins: Marcelo has a crack from distance, Neymar tumbles on the edge of the box but ref not interested. Craig Sobering writes:
Replying to your question about who is going to win it all this year. I
haven't watched all of the games and I'm not particularly knowledgeable
about footie, but of the 1/2 dozen I've had the pleasure to watch Germany
has certainly stood out to me. Their ball controll against Portugal was top
class and if points were awarded to the team that dove the least I think the
Germans would win that too. My heart is with the Dutch and their dismantling
of Spain was heartening so lets hope that bodes well for the future.
35 mins: Alves brings down Layun for a freekick in a handy area for Mexico. Good header clear from Silva, and Mexico are reduced to a lame long-ranger effort from, I think, Layun.
34 mins: Second corner is a free header for Fred, didn't do very well with it.
33 mins: First corner cleared.
32 mins: Dani Alves, very much not one of my favourites, wins a corner down the right and makes a light meal of the challenge. Not the full Thomas Muller gut-buster, but hints of what he has in his locker.
31 mins: Neymar with a mazy run, Fred drags a marker away, but there are too many Mexican players back.
<noframe>Twitter: Mark Ogden - Fantastic save by Ochoa from Neymar</noframe>
28 mins: Fair demented atmosphere, here come Brazil again. Oh heavens, Jonathan Pearce is on it again. They've just shown a goal-line technology picture of the save, it was clearly not a goal. Pearce "there was a horrible mix up the other night." NO THERE WASN'T.
24 mins: Neymar involved in two near misses. First he runs and slips it to Paulinho, who again finds the ball on him a bit quickly for his liking. And now a great cross in, superb leap from Neymar and that is a hell of a save from the keeper. Wow. Claws it away in the Gordon Banks style. Not quite in that class but still.
22 mins: Peralta with a good run into the box, hard to get it off him, Marcelo and Luiz both dive in for tackles. On another day etc etc that could have been a dive/foul/penalty. Mexico's Herrera with a run and a thunderbolt of a strike that the QPR reserve keeper tips over the bar. Ref doesn't give what looked a pretty clear corner.
20 mins: Bit of a lull while a player gets minor treatment. Fred has been caught offside for a second time. Scratch that, Fred has been caught offside for a third time. TBF, maybe he's figuring to play it as tight as possible to the line and hope the linesman can be cowed into not flagging?
18 mins: No shot on target yet, and that effort from Gustavo not doing anything to redress the balance. Miles off goal. Brazil, though, have taken control of this. Appraently the North East of the country, where this match is being played, is especially passionate about the national side. Certainly a hell of an atmosphere.
16 mins: Neymar too tricky for Francisco Rodriguez, who clips him. Mexico deal with the resulting free well
14 mins: Guardado having a game, he's got the measure of Dani Alves so far. Marcelo though gets to the byline and crosses but the ball comes too quick to Paulinho for him to do much with it.
13 mins: Man the cringe boats as J Pearce and Lawro discuss the socio-politico situation in Brazil "20 murders in three days"... "to call those buildings tumbledown would be an understatement"
11 mins: Neat play by Oscar, he's hugging that touchline, chalk on the boots, and he's slipped it through to Fred who flicks the ball into the side netting. Offside anyhow, I think. Jonathan Daniel writes:
It's rather pre-mature to tell who`s going to win the World Cup but my
instinct tell me that Netherlands.
10 mins: Clever switch of play from Oscar but the ball just has the beating of Dani Alves
8 mins: Such composure as being shown is coming from Mexico. To give you a flavour of the game, let me just tell you that Oscar and Neymar have put in lung-busting runs to track back and each has made a crunching tackle.
7 mins: Neymar fouled yet again. Freekick is wasted.
6 mins: This is exactly the sort of football these two sides are not known for. Breakneck pace, tackled flying in, passing awry, madcap energy. Maybe England can crack this tournament after all?
4 mins: Layun catches Gustavo, ref will have to get a card out soon.
2 mins: Mexico look like they have gone out there to rattle Brazil, three or four fouls early on. Now Brazil with a foul of their own, and Mexico swing the corner in. Silva heads it behind, it would have gone out anyway. He tells his mates that he didnae get a warning. Not sure he would have been able to hear it anyway.
1 mins: Two fouls in the first few seconds, Vazquez has tripped Neymar.
plays
19.59 Brazil will kick off. Humid and hot. Crowd roar. "That national anthem was a 'wow' moment," says Lawro. Well, if Lawro was impressed, you know it must have been a bit special.
19.58 No side in the 21st century has beaten Brazil as much as Mexico, according to the telly.
19.56 Neymar in tears again.
19.55 Now it's time for the Brazil anthem, and we're expecting great things. They're also going for the huggy shoulder thing. Luiz especially up for it. Again, the band cut out - I've read that FIFA only allow 90 seconds of music, anyone heard that?
19.53 Mexico might be outnumbered but the players and fans are giving it at least 137% on the anthems. The team, arms linked, look calm and hungry.
19.52 Normally I'm a man for the underdog in the World Cup, but you've got to root for the hosts haven't you?
19.51 And here is Luka Lloteng
If Brazil will continue to play the same way they did on the openning day,
then definitely they won't even make to the last four. Germany and The
Netherlands are the teams which have impressed me so far. Both will
dismantle Brazil with alot of ease! I am in Maputo, Mozambique. A Kenyan in
diaspora. Following all the build up from Telegraph. You Rock!!! #WC
Aw, cheers Luka. I've been to Maputo, it was brilliant, met some great people.
19.50 An email from Carl McClean:
Reclaiming stereotypes? The Mexico '86 mascot was a jalapeño with a
sombrero and moustache! Come on Brazil, no more silly diving for this one.
19.45 According to the BBC's TIm Vickery, some people are late getting to the ground as a result of what sounds like a fairly small protest: a road has been blocked.
19.40 Hulk is injured and Ramires comes into the side, that should hopefully give them a bit more balance.
19.35 A few pictures of costume-related japery.
I like the way the Mexican fans are reclaiming that sombrero stereotype.
19.30 Yes! A Chi on the BBC opening montage. My mother-in-law has got one. Delightful little fellow, albeit a bit bitey.
Hope that kid's got insurance. A chi can go mental at any moment.
19.28 Here is Jim White inside the ground.
Extraordinary atmosphere inside the stadium. Half an hour before kick off
and it is impossible to hear yourself think. Place is packed with chanting,
yelling, horn tooting fans. Mexicans as exuberant as the Brazilians.
Cafu out on the pitch giving a little pep talk to the current Brazil team. They all seem very keen to chat with him. Maybe to ask what it's like winning the World Cup
19.27 EastEnders has finished, and that only means good things. Not least the fact that EastEnders has finished, for my money. It also means that the telly coverage of the football is about to start.
19.24 But they're giving no quarter in the pre-match partying stakes by all accounts
<noframe>Twitter: Ed Malyon - "Canta no llores" competing with "Sou Brasileiro" in a big way at Castelao. Around 8-10,000 Mexico fans making themselves heard.</noframe>
19.23 Stats are not in Mexico's favour...
<noframe>Twitter: Mohandas Menon - Mexico has a dismal record vs South American teams in <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%23FifaWorldCup" target="_blank">#FifaWorldCup</a> In last 11 games won 1 (beat Ecuador 2-1 in 2002), lost 8, drawn 2</noframe>
19.20 Anyhow, enough speculation. Here are the teams.
19.15 I thought Brazil dealt very well with the enormous pressure of expectation in their first match, coming back gamely from that deflating early OG.
19.10 Who do you fancy to win, then? Mexico would have romped home against Cameroon had they not had two perfectly good goals chalked off and will surely offer a stiff test for the hosts.
19.00 All wise and true no doubt, but if you really want a scientific prediction of how this evening's match is going to play out, you'd be better off with this match simulation from our Digital World Cup, hosted on Project Babb.
18.55 Also on the match preview tip is Mr John Ley, who marks your card thus for the match.
Brazil v Mexico
Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza
Kick-off: 20.00 BST.
TV: BBC.
Brazil (Possible, 4-2-3-1): Cesar; Alves, Luiz, Silva, Marcelo; Gustavo, Paulinho; Hulk, Oscar, Neymar; Fred.
Test: Hulk (muscle strain).
Mexico (Possible, 5-3-2): Ochoa; Aguilar, Moreno, Marquez, Rodriguez, Layun; Guardado, Vazquez, Herrera; Dos Santos, Peralta.
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey).
Betting: Brazil 1-3, Mexico 9-1, Draw 15-4.
Team News: Hulk withdrew early from training with the rest of his team-mates on Sunday morning, two days before the host nation's second World Cup Group A match against Mexico.
The 27-year-old Zenit St Petersburg player immediately left the field after scoring in a training game between the likely starting line-up for the match against Mexico and the substitutes.
Hulk, whose place was taken by Ramires, did not look entirely at ease as he returned to the changing room but it remains to be seen if his early withdrawal could see him miss the game.
Match Notes: The winner of Tuesday's match will be guaranteed a spot in the next round if Cameroon and Croatia draw their match on Wednesday in the jungle city of Manaus.
Having been helped by the referee in the opener against Croatia, Brazil will want to impress on there own.
Whether match-winner Neymar will be more cautious knowing a second booking would rule him out of the third game remains to be seen.
But the Mexicans have won big matches against Brazil before, beating them 4-3 in the final of the Confederations Cup in 1999 and more recently in the Olympic final in London.
Stat of the game: The 38 previous games between these teams have produced 107 goals. Brazil have won 22 and scored 71, with Mexico claiming just six victories but also netting 36 times.
John Ley's prediction: Brazil 2 Mexico 1.
18.45 Talking of the estimable Mr Jim, he has also done a piece here about Thiago Silva that gives a nice flavour of the fervour.
Thiago Silva, the Brazilian captain, on Monday described this as already
shaping up into the finest World Cup tournament in history.
Speaking as the Germans were hammering four past Portugal in Salvador, an impressed Thiago, the Paris St-Germain centre-back, said: “I was talking to friends that this is the World Cup of all World Cups for those who like goals scored.
“For those who like football, I think this is the World Cup. This is being shown in terms of number of goals. For a defender that’s not all good but I believe it's just part of football.”
Well worth a read in the lead-up to tonight's match.
18.40 Favourite fan of the day so far HAS to be this guy. As Jim White writes:
This Mexico fan has arrived well equipped. He has 100 shots of tequila in various containers including a glass rifle and a pair of glass revolvers. Good luck getting them through security.
18.35 Yet another belting match, Dries Mertens has just hammered in what might well be the winner, and that goal makes 47 in the first round of group games, surpassing the record set at Japan-South Korea 2002 with one to play, the South Korea and Russia match at 11pm. The game between Brazil and Mexico is,of course, the second time both teams have played. To be honest, if I had to tell you that, maybe this whole World Cup thing isn't for you.
18.30 Evening all, Tyers here, welcome to our live blog of Brazil v Mexico. I'll bring you all the build-up over the next hour or so, in the meantime, I am just enjoying the last few minutes of Belgium and Algeria, and I suggest you do too. Greg Walton is live blogging it here. Belgium v Algeria: live!
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Brazil can complete part one of their World Cup 2014 mission against Mexico, knowing a victory will virtually ensure a place in the last 16 and help relieve some of the huge emotional pressure.
The five-time champions opened their campaign with a 3-1 win over Croatia while Mexico edged Cameroon 1-0.
Mexico shattered Brazil's dream of winning the only major prize missing from their honours list two years ago, when they stunned the South Americans 2-1 to claim the Olympic gold medal.
Brazil striker Hulk insists there is no question of Brazil looking to settle a score at Fortaleza's Castelao Stadium, the same venue where they met in the Confederations Cup last year, when Luiz Felipe Scolari's side claimed a 2-0 victory.
But it is also the site of one of the World Cup's big shocks so far, Costa Rica's 3-1 upset of Copa America winners Uruguay.
"In the Confederations Cup we tried to think only about winning the game and it will be the same this time. If we think about revenge it could cause us problems," said Hulk.
Here is Jim White's preview.
A campaign has been mounted on Facebook encouraging supporters to form the
World Cup's biggest group hug during the extended anthem. Brazil will need
the encouragement. Mexico has long been regarded as something of a bogey
team for the hosts – a stone in their shoe, as one reporter put it. Mexico
have won seven of the past 13 encounters between the two sides, including
most significantly the Olympic final at Wembley two summers ago.
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