Casemiro and Matheus Cunha both played for Brazil against Morocco on Saturday night, but it wasn’t a good night for both.
There were three Manchester United players involved in the blockbuster clash between Brazil and Morocco, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Noussair Mazraoui started for Morocco in a really impressive performance, while Casemiro struggled for Brazil in midfield, being run through by the technical and physical machine Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Matheus Cunha came off the bench in the game to enjoy a strong cameo appearance.
In Brazil, the local press have had very differing opinions of the two United players who featured for Selecao.
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Casemiro slammed after difficult 45 minutes against Morocco
The speed in the Moroccan midfield left Casemiro chasing shadows, and he couldn’t get close to Bouaddi in particular. He ended the opening 45 already in the book and was hooked at the half.
Starting off, Veja criticised Casemiro’s performance.
“Casemiro misplaced passes, always a second too late. [After his withdrawal] The team improved, becoming calmer and with better ball control.”
Ge Globo rated Casemiro a disappointing 4.5/10, while supporters in Brazil gave him just 2.4/10 on average, which shows how poor the United midfielder was.
“Below his potential. Besides being inefficient with the ball, he conceded space in marking. He received a yellow card in the 36th minute when he had to stop a counter-attack and was eventually substituted at halftime.”
ESPN Brazil also gave Casemiro a 4.5/10 rating, highlighting his lack of speed.
“His performance was far below what he had previously shown for the national team and also for Manchester United. He was very exposed and didn’t show his usual speed of reaction.”
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Brazilian press praise Matheus Cunha after solid cameo
Cunha got a 6.5/10 rating from Ge Globo, flattered in comparison to the public vote, which was 4.9/10, one of the highest in the Brazilian squad.
“Even with the number 9 on his back, he didn’t play as a center forward, but rather on the left side of the attack. At 32 minutes, he made a great pass to Vini, which resulted in a dangerous play. He was also important without the ball, frequently dropping back to defend.”
ESPN Brazil rated Cunha 5.5/10, but praised his performance and argued he deserves more minutes.
“Of those who came off the bench, he was the one who performed best. He moved out of the box, helped in marking, and showed enough to deserve more playing time.”
Brazil are a much better side with Cunha on the pitch, and clearly the press in the country agrees. He should start against Haiti.
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