Casemiro is still technically a Manchester United player until Wednesday, and he has been in action for Brazil this week in the World Cup round of 32.
Casemiro started in midfield alongside Bruno Guimaraes for Brazil, with Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha leading the line.
Brazil beat Japan 2-1 in the end, with Casemiro stepping up with what is now a trademarked back-post header to score the equaliser.
It was a game of two halves for Casemiro, while Cunha was effectively stifled by the Japanese defence as he struggled to offer the same quality he had in his prior two appearances.
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How Brazilian press rated Casemiro vs Japan
At half-time, there were calls for Casemiro to be hooked, but Carlo Ancelotti stuck with his midfield general, and he repaid the faith with the goal.
Here is how the press in Brazil reacted to Casemiro’s performance after the game.
Veja praised Casemiro for his contribution despite being heavily criticised in the first-half.
“Casemiro, who went from villain to hero, quiet in the first half and a savior in the second half by scoring the equalizing goal that would lead to the victory.
“Casemiro scored with a header – and the most criticized player of all changed everything.”
Ge Globo only rated Casemiro a 5/10 before explaining why.
“Casemiro – Villain and hero. There’s no escaping the fact that Brazil only breathed a sigh of relief because of his header goal. On the other hand, he had another subpar performance for most of the game. He struggled even in marking, received a yellow card very early on, was easily beaten in the play that led to the Japanese goal, and made numerous passing errors. He even collided with his teammates twice in the first half.”
Finally, ESPN Brazil gave Casemiro a 6.5/10.
“He scored the goal that paved the way for Brazil’s victory, although, in his more natural role as a marker, he left something to be desired in the first half. He left injured.”
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United target Bruno Guimaraes is the star for Brazil
Not only did Casemiro have an eventful game in midfield, but United target Bruno Guimaraes was also involved and had a mammoth game.
Ge Globo hailed Guimaraes with a 9/10 rating after his performance.
“The Brazilian star of the World Cup – and by a considerable margin. He does it all. He scores, distributes the ball, gets forward to finish plays, and is capable of deciding games with passes like the one that led to Martinelli’s game-winning goal. He was responsible for the first shot on goal of the game, a dangerous header in the second half, and a spectacular assist. A true star!”
ESPN Brazil also hailed Guimaraes.
“If he plays, the team plays. That’s how it was against Japan. He had difficulty finding his rhythm, but it was from his feet that the ball came that Martinelli finished to score the winning goal.”
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