(Brazil’s Hulk (21), Daniel Acosta (7),and Willian (19) – Photo by Mike Lawrence)
The Brazilian National Team beat Costa Rica 1-0 in an international friendly on Saturday afternoon at Red Bull Arena.
Brazil’s Hulk got the lone goal in the match in the 10th minute. He got a feed from Danilo on the right side and met resistance when he got into the box. After getting tripped up by a Costa Rica defender, he balanced himself, got up and blasted one into the net to make it 1-0 Brazil.
Incredibly, that was the only goal Brazil would get despite controlling play the entire game. Brazil poured in 16 shots, with eight on goal, while Costa Rica had just one shot, and none on goal.
Brazil plays a very methodical, deliberate style with crisp passing that leaves nothing to chance. Every pass is a work of art, and they truly embody the phrase “the beautiful game.”
Brazil’s two biggest stars, Neymar and Kaka, did not come on until the second half. Kaka, who plays for Orlando City FC, entered in the 67th minute for Hulk. Neymar, who plays for Barcelona, entered to a big ovation, came on in the 81st minute for Miranda, their captain.
Kaka played in the center, with Neymar to the left, and they put oin a show while they were out there. Kaka set up Neymar on a few high-quality scoring chances in the final ten minutes.
The attendance was 19,146, a bit short of a sellout (Red Bull Arena holds 25,000), with around 65 percent of the crowd Brazil fans.
