Casemiro was suspended from the clash for accumulation of cards and it was always going to be a big loss for Brazil. Casemiro is the fulcrum of the attack and the defence, whilst also bringing an innate balance into the side. He was too big for Fernandinho’s britches and the Manchester City midfielder’s struggles accentuated just that.
The tone for the evening was set after he inadvertently elbowed Nacer Chadli’s delivery from a corner, right into his own net. Fernandinho was then bossed in the midfield by the pacey and tenacious Belgians, especially his club teammate de Bruyne and didn’t do enough to halt Lukaku when he broke forward at speed in the build-up to their second.
He won the ball from him in the Brazilian area before setting off on an impressive run, teeing up Kevin on the edge of the area. At that point, he found himself well off the pace and nowhere near to track his sprint.
Fernandinho was terrific in Manchester City’s impressive Premier League title-winning campaign last term, but he was a poor imitation of his best self today. Brazil sorely missed Casemiro.