Brazilian legend Ronaldo has praised Manchester United midfielder Casemiro after his performance at the World Cup last night.
Casemiro was the anchorman in a very attacking midfield three for Brazil, as he lined up alongside Lucas Paqueta and Neymar in a 4-2-3-1 system.
It was a tense first half, but the game was unlocked by two goals from Tottenham’s Richarlison and Casemiro and co kept a clean sheet after a fairly comfortable second period.
United teammates Antony and Fred came off the bench in the second half for cameo appearances, with the latter going close with a strike from range.
Casemiro hailed for World Cup display
After the game, the anchorman took to Instagram to celebrate the result, which means that Brazil are top of their group after the first round of matches.
He posted a message saying he was proud of the team for their victory and had plenty of comments congratulating him on his display.
Some came from teammates but there was one in there from Brazilian icon Ronaldo, who used to play for Casemiro’s former club Real Madrid.
He said that Casemiro ‘played really, really well’, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment of his performance.
He is not in the team to score goals but he nearly did exactly that with a sumptuous strike in the second half which came crashing off the bar.
As per WhoScored, he won as many headers as any Brazilian player against a physical Serbian side containing Fulham powerhouse Aleksandar Mitrović.
He made three tackles, two interceptions and a block in a typically understated but effective performance to kick off the World Cup.
Next up for Brazil is a game against Switzerland on Monday, which will see Casemiro go up against Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka, where a win for either team would ensure their qualification for the knockout rounds.
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