Léo Pereira involved in goal, Vini Jr assists as Brazil beat Croatia | OneFootball

Brazil won its final friendly before the World Cup squad announcement

Bring on the World Cup! In the final friendly before the squad announcement for the tournament, Brazil beat Croatia 3-1 in Orlando (USA). Representing Flamengo, Léo Pereira played a part in the goal that broke the deadlock this Tuesday (31).

In the 46th minute of the first half, Croatia swung a corner into the box. Léo Pereira cleared it with a header, already starting the move, and put the ball at the feet of Matheus Cunha. With two touches, the midfielder played a beautiful long ball to Vini Jr, who burst down the left on a counterattack.

The Flamengo academy product left three defenders behind and squared it in classic ‘score and hug me’ style for defensive midfielder Danilo. Unmarked near the penalty spot, the Botafogo player smashed it into the net to open the scoring at Camping World Stadium. Unlike the match against France, when Brazil played poorly, the five-time world champions turned in a strong performance this time.

HE HELPED CREATE THE GOAL, BUT WAS THERE A SCARE?

On the goal play, Léo Pereira landed awkwardly on the pitch. The defender’s ankle was even bleeding, to the point that the No. 15 had to take off his boot after the end of the first half. However, it was just a scare, as the player returned to the field in the second half of the friendly.

Brazil were in control of the match, but switched off in the 39th minute. Léo Pereira stepped up to make a challenge in midfield, failed to stop the move, and Croatia exploited the space behind him. Toni Fruk crossed from right to left, and Lovro Majer sent it into the net while contesting it with Danilo, of Flamengo. Goalkeeper Bento came off his line poorly, leaving the red-and-black defender frustrated.

However, Croatia barely had time to celebrate. On Brazil’s first attack afterward, Endrick was brought down in the box: penalty. From the spot, Igor Thiago finished with class, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and putting Brazil back in front.

In stoppage time, Endrick, who made a big impact after coming on, provided an assist for Gabriel Martinelli. The Arsenal (ENG) forward surged down the left, fired a shot across goal, and put the finishing touches on the match played in the United States of America.

HOW MANY MINUTES DID THE FLAMENGO PLAYERS GET?

Just as happened against France, Léo Pereira once again played the full 90 minutes. As a result, the defender is unlikely to feature on Thursday (02) against Bragantino in the Brasileirão. Danilo, meanwhile, came on in the 15th minute of the second half and was picked to play at right back.

SO WHEN WILL BRAZIL’S SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT FINALLY HAPPEN?

Carlo Ancelotti will announce Brazil’s World Cup squad on May 18. As the coach had already said earlier in the week, Danilo is a sure bet to make the list. Léo Pereira, meanwhile, is hoping to play in the first World Cup of his career.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.