Brazil beat Croatia 3-1 this Tuesday (31) in Orlando, Florida, in the United States.
The friendly was the Seleção’s last test before the final squad list with the 26 players called up by coach Carlo Ancelotti, on May 18, who will compete in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
⚽ The match
The game was a friendly, but because of the recent disappointing results, there was a certain tension in the air.
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Carlo Ancelotti, for example, got angry with the broadcast cameraman who was blocking his view of the field.
In addition, after Brazilian fans chanted for Neymar during the friendly against France in Boston, signs were seen in the stands in Orlando showing support for the Santos forward.
Once the ball got rolling, Brazil played better, especially in the first half.
Unlike the match against France, Brazil had more possession and created good chances to open the scoring.
The relieving goal, however, only came in first-half stoppage time, when Vini Jr led a counterattack down the left and set up Danilo Santos in the box.
After the break, the Seleção slowed down and watched Croatia improve on the field.
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The team that broke Brazil’s hearts at the 2022 World Cup showed resilience to keep the ball until they found the equalizer.
Fruk crossed from the right, and Majer appeared between Marquinhos and Danilo to beat the Flamengo defender to the ball and take advantage of Bento’s poor outing to level the score.
However, in the very next play, Endrick was brought down in the box.
The forward developed at Palmeiras, owned by Real Madrid but playing for Lyon, picked up the ball and handed it to newcomer Igor Thiago.
The Brentford standout from England sent the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot and sealed Brazil’s victory.
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Again in stoppage time, on another perfect counterattack that began with Igor Thiago winning the ball in midfield, Endrick burst forward at speed to set up Gabriel Martinelli.
The Arsenal forward fired a shot across goal and completed the scoring.
🚦 What’s next
According to the schedule, coach Carlo Ancelotti is expected to send FIFA a preliminary list of 55 players on May 11, with the official list of 26 call-ups to be submitted on May 18.
On May 31, the Seleção will have its farewell at the Maracanã against Panama, and on June 6, already in Cleveland, USA, Brazil will face Egypt.
Brazil will make its World Cup debut on June 13 against Morocco in New Jersey, then face Haiti in Philadelphia on June 19, and close out the group stage against Scotland on June 24 in Miami.
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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
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